


Heir of Mandalore

by PL_Panda



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: All Marauders are dead, BAMF Harry Potter, BAMF Mandalorians, Challenge: Prince of Mandalore, Clan Kryze (Star Wars), Clone Wars era, Earth is in Star Wars Universe, F/M, Goblins, Harry Potter is Harran Kryze, Harry Potter is Mandalorian, Harry Potter is Not a Horcrux, Harry Potter is Not a Potter, Mandalorian Culture (Star Wars), Mandalorians (Star Wars), Mando'a Language (Star Wars), No Beta, No Beta We Die Like Clones, Obi-Wan Kenobi is the father, Obitine child, Past Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Sirius Black is Harry Potter's Parent, tri-wizard tournament, we die like clones
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:27:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 41,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28794645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PL_Panda/pseuds/PL_Panda
Summary: Education and armor,Self-defense, our tribe,Our language and our leader—All help us survive.Satine Kryze remembers Obi-Wan Kenobi with a bitter-sweet taste. She never forgave him for choosing Jedi Order over her, but he gave her Harran. Her son might be a pain sometimes, but she wouldn't ever replace him. But with the war raging in the galaxy, can she protect him? Or is it time for him to make his own decisions?
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze
Comments: 10
Kudos: 67





	1. Heir of Mandalore - C01/Jedi and Mando in Britain

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the setting, only the plot and how I mixed the two worlds.
> 
> PRINCE CHALLENGE by WhiteTigerWolf on Fanfiction.Net
> 
> So this idea stems from a story I want to write, but just won't come to me. The basic premise is that Harry is raised by Duchess Satine Kryze. I called it the Prince Challenge because Satine is the leader of her people, and this story would make Harry her heir. That said, while I can find plenty of info on what the children on non-ruling Dukes/Duchess' are (those that are related to a King/Queen, or simply under the rule of a King/Queen) I can't really find information on what the children of ruling Dukes/Duchess' are (That is Dukes/Ducess' that are essentially King/Queen, just called Duke/Duchess instead). So I felt Prince was an acceptable term.
> 
> Requirements:
> 
> \- Harry must be adopted by OR reborn as Duchess Satine Kryze's biological son
> 
> \- Satine must still follow the Resol'nare (look it up on Wookiepedia if you don't know it), if only in her own way
> 
> \- When the time comes, Harry must be old enough to participate in the Clone Wars
> 
> \- Harry must disagree with his mother's stance of Neutrality and leave/runaway to join the fighting (his reasons are up to you)
> 
> \- Satine must, wrongfully, be informed of her son's death at some point (whether this is false information, mistake in reporting, or Harry is actually missing and presumed dead, is up you)
> 
> \- Harry's presence must somehow save Satine from death
> 
> \- Harry cannot be in a M/M relationship
> 
> Recommended:
> 
> \- FemHarry
> 
> \- Harry/Ahsoka Tano (I know it's popular, but I like it)
> 
> \- Harry/Riyo Chuchi
> 
> \- Harry/Female Jedi
> 
> \- (If you go with Adopted Harry) Harry being pulled back to earth to fight Voldemort being the wrongful death his mother is informed of
> 
> \- (If you go with Reborn Harry) Harry being the son of Satine AND Obi-Wan, with Satine not telling Obi-Wan for various reasons
> 
> \- Harry somehow trained to use the force and/or fight with a lightsaber
> 
> https://www.fanfiction.net/topic/83467/168829693/1/

Obi-wan blocked the blaster shots coming at them. Sabine was next to him, her blue armor so far stopped any stray attacks, but neither doubted that if they stayed in one place they would get to them. The Jedi knight did his best to deflect the laser beams at his enemies, but he didn’t have enough space to maneuver in the tight corridor of the mine. They were retreating as fast as they could. 

It was pure bad luck that the bounty hunters caught them in that mine. They arrived on Draboon on a large explorer ship, only to sneak out in pressurized suits while the freighter arrived at the more populated docking station. The plan was risky but guaranteed no one would even try to look for them there. All their tracks would lead to deep space. 

His master ordered him to protect Satine at all cost after her father was killed. When House Kryze asked the council for support, they were reluctant to help, but the outcome of the civil war, if it was unfavorable to the order, could mean a new series of Mandalorian Crusades that everyone would want to avoid. And so he and his master answered Adonai Kryze’s call and came to aid. Three months into their excursion, the warlord was killed and their plan went to hell. Qui-Gon ordered his padawan to protect Satine at all cost while he sorted out a new solution with the council and the new leader of the coalition. 

As things were, Obi-wan was now stranded on an abandoned mining station, chased by Bounty Hunters and Venom-mites. They were almost out of supplies, they had little ammo left and Satine’s armor suffered damage that made it impossible to survive in a vacuum. In short, they had little chance of actually escaping

“Stop being doom and gloom and instead help me!” The woman shouted at him, breaking his train of thoughts. Obediently, he cut the ceiling and caused the rocks to fall behind them, blocking the path. That gave them some breathing space.

Or not. The Venom-mites were small and agile enough to get through the cracks and continue chasing them. Satine tried to use her jet-pack to get out faster, but she hit her head into the ceiling. Obi-wan cursed the fact that she lost her beskar helmet long ago. The woman swooned into his hands. Her gaze was now distant and probably blurred. 

Resigned, he lifted her up and started to run. With her in his arms, they didn’t really have a chance to use his lightsaber or even a blaster. Instead, he reached into the force and pulled, enveloping himself in it and pushing it into his muscles. At the same time, the air before him parted as he ran forward. The Venom-mites were left behind as he followed the cold breeze to the exit. A conscious Satine would never let him carry her that way. She was too proud. 

He managed to find an exit into a small hangar chiseled in a side of a canyon. He could remember seeing the canyon when they made planetfall. It would be a tight fit with the ship that was parked in here. 

When he was trying to enter, he miscalculated the elevation of the ramp. He ended up tripping over with the Mandalorian still in his hands. She flew out of his hands and bumped into the ramp. The impact from the fall must’ve caused the blade hidden in her gauntlet to extend because when he managed to lift her again, she had a small gash going across her midriff. Nothing dangerous. It was a flesh wound. Still, it would probably leave a scar. And it was where only her suit protected her, not the armor...

He didn’t bother to see what kind of ship it was. They would have time for it later. He strapped Satine to one of the passenger seats and got behind the steering stick. Getting the hang of everything as he went wasn’t the easiest. Nobody thought about labeling the blasted buttons! Why didn’t they at least put some pictures on it?!

“Obi!” Satine was now half-awake and swooning inside her safety belts. She probably had a concussion. “Remember Jakelia? We got to… test the beds they sold…” She had a stupid smile on her face and giggled. 

_ “Yup! Definitely a concussion.” _ Obi-Wan muttered to himself as he finally managed to start the engine.

“Maybe we can…” She didn’t get to finish as a violent explosion shook the ship. The bounty hunters clearly weren’t happy that someone stole their ship. 

“Not now, Satine!” The Jedi shouted as he tried to maneuver through the tight canyon chased by two fighters. 

“ _ Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum, _ Obi-Wan.” She said suddenly as they were in the middle of the chase that could very well kill them. Why did she have to pledge her love to him right now?

It gave him a pause that almost cost them their lives. One of their engines was hit, but it seemed to hold. 

“You just have a concussion, Satine!” he shouted. “Try to stay calm!” Even though he was well aware of just how evasive he was. He could feel her eyes drilling into the back of his head from her seat. “Eh…  _ Balyc,  _ Satine.  _ Balyc… _ ” He remembered the word she taught him. His Mando’a was never that great.  _ Me too…  _

He knew it was a bad idea. He was a padawan. He wasn’t allowed to form attachments. Especially not like that. Then he took a glance at Satine and refocused on getting the two out. And the fact that they were still chased by two fighters. He did a sharp dive that confused his opponents and rotated around his axis on his way down. The end result was that he was below them and his forward cannons were aimed at them. A quick salvo and both of them went crashing into the walls. The explosion caused by them lit the dark sky of Draboon. 

“Okay. That dealt with we can safely try for a jump…” they left the planet’s gravitational field and Obi-Wan punched coordinates of a new jump. They needed to drop the ship. He had no illusion that they were safe. More hunters would come. Or the Mandalorian assassins. He didn’t fancy meeting either.

The stars turned into blue beams as the hyperdrive thrust them into Hyperspace and hurled them across the galaxy. 

Now, the young Jedi had a chance to relax and patch Satine up. She apparently drifted into a deep sleep, but the scanner in the onboard medkit told him that she would be okay. He gave her a small bakta injection to help her heal and applied the paste on the cut. There would most likely still be a scar, but at least she wouldn’t get any infection. 

With that done, he finally allowed himself to fall asleep in the chair next to her. The day took a toll on him and they would remain in the Hyperspace for at least three days if everything went right.

\---------

It didn’t go right. 

Obi-Wan and Satine were woken by the sound of an explosion. Their ship shook as the blue of the hyperspace quickly got replaced by the starred void and giant ball of fire that was the local star!

The Jedi lunged for the steering stick and wrestled it back. Their left engine was completely gone, as was half of the ship. Luckily, the part they were in was undamaged or they might’ve not survived. The ship swirled around the sun, but that was about how much Obi-Wan could do. The controls gave the last beep before shutting off, as did several other systems. They were still traveling at incredibly high speed through space. With a giant blue planet directly on a collision course.

Satine let out a small string of Mandalorian curses and started to try and reroute the power to the support engines. 

Obi-Wan sat cross-legged on the captain’s chair and closed his eyes. It looked like he’s been waiting for death. 

“As much as I appreciate your  _ optimism, _ ” she glared at him while working on the systems. She managed to cut off the problematic wire, but she now needed to replace it and the turbulences weren’t helping. “I would’ve appreciated more if you helped!” She roared. 

They were already entering the atmosphere. 

Suddenly, the ship started to slow down. The power in steering thrusters returned and Obi-Wan gripped the steering stick. They were still approaching the land, but at least they could slow down the fall. 

Below them, there was a small village where two groups seemed to be fighting with small blasters. Green and red beams littered the street. They all wore long, bulky robes that still did nothing to stop the shots.

Their ship smashed into a house nearby that seemed to be abandoned. They managed to crawl through the open space in the back but were now in the crossfire of two groups. The leader of one group appeared to be an alien of some kind that neither Obi-Wan nor Satine ever heard of. He had ashen-white skin, a face that looked more reptilian than human, and no hair. The other group responded to an elder human with a long white beard and old-fashioned spectacles. Not many in the galaxy still used spectacles when one could simply have surgery to fix the sight. And if impossible, it was usually more efficient to acquire cybernetic replacement since the damage had to be extensive.

“Kill the interlopers! Leave no one alive!” The snake-like alien screamed. Some of the black-robed men started to fire at the two crash-landers instead of their opponents. The ones under the lead of the bearded man ignored them for now and focused on the ones firing at them. 

Obi-Wan drew his lightsaber and started blocking the incoming blaster shots. They felt weird in the force and his movement was much more sluggish. The green felt toxic while red carried certain… ‘feebleness’ to them. Like they were only stun bolts and not actual blasts. He also found himself unable to deflect any of them. Instead, his ‘saber seemed to absorb them into itself. He wasn’t exactly unfamiliar with certain materials and technologies that had a similar effect, but it was curious that attacks with such strong force presence were absorbed and not reflected.

_ “Perhaps they use Kyber Crystals to power their weapons? _ ” He mused to himself.

Satine gave him an unamused look. “Less theory-crafting and more fighting,  _ Cuyare _ !” Beloved. She called him beloved. Obi-Wan hated how imbalanced his feelings were. His concentration almost slipped and one of the green beams sailed past him. Luckily, Satine dodged, not willing to risk getting hit by it. She returned blaster fire with increased zeal.

“Remember Vorpa’ya?” She asked him.

“Not now-” he started to complain, but she interrupted him. 

“Not that!” She lightly blushed. “The large group of hunters!” 

“Right… Sorry,” he had the decency to blush. He reached into a force and felt her. With a firm push, she went flying up. Her jet-pack pushed her forward and added to her speed. None of the shots could possibly hit her at that speed reliably. When she was closing on the enemies, the Mandalorian activated the flamethrower in her wristguard. The stream of flame descended upon black-robed men and ignited their robes. 

The distraction allowed Obi-Wan to push forward and slice through three of the soldiers. The snake-like alien used…  _ Was that a stick!? _ to create a shimmering yellow barrier in front of him that stopped the lightsaber. 

“I am not sssure who are you, ssstranger.” It hissed out in hatred. The Jedi could feel ripples in the force with each word. To be frank, it was disconcerting. “But you’ve made an enemy today!” With that, the alien disappeared, followed by his soldiers. 

The ones that worked for the bearded man cheered. 

One of the younger, with shaggy black hair, rushed to Obi-Wan and Satine. “That was some sick spellwork! What did you use to absorb the spells? And that incendio was great! Hey, are you free tonight, pretty?” The last one was clearly directed to Satine. Obi-Wan felt a sting of jealousy over that man trying to pick up on his beloved. His fist clenched. He tried to center himself in the force, but he also wanted to protect his… was she his girlfriend now?

“Sadly, I think my boyfriend might oppose to that idea.” She replied diplomatically enough. 

“Oh… Nevermind then. Seems the headmaster wants to talk with ya’ though.” He pointed at the bearded man who carefully approached them. 

“Indeed. Thank you for the help in this battle. Your appearance saved many lives today. I fear it could’ve been a turning point in the war if not for you.”

“What sector are we in?” Obi-Wan asked curiously. Their flight through hyperspace was interrupted prematurely, so there was no telling where they landed. While the navi-computer could probably tell it to them, it was probably faster to just ask.

“Sector? I’m afraid I’m confused, young man.”

“Um… Could you just point us to the nearest space-port? We’ll just book a flight from there.” Satine tried, but she already suspected the answer.

It was a woman with fiery red hair and a polite smile that answered. She and a man with black messy hair joined them. He too wore glasses, much like the old man. “I think it’s for the best if we retreat to somewhere private. If my suspicions are correct, it might be a shock for both sides…”

\-------------

Explaining everything took them until early morning hours. Both sides were equally baffled by their discoveries. For the sheltered wizards (and one less sheltered muggle-born), the discovery that there is life beyond earth was frankly scary, especially when they’ve seen how destructive blaster is. Muggle firearms were one thing, but blaster had about ten times the kick. Not to mention the lightsaber.

Obi-Wan on the other hand was utterly terrified by wizarding society. The galaxy had maybe three thousand Jedi. This planet had at least a hundred million, and that was a pessimistic assumption. He couldn’t imagine what would happen if they ever reached the stars. He also quickly learned that they had no problem with attachments and marriage. The woman who was the first to figure them out was married. The young couple took them in and offered to let them stay until someone arrives to pick them up. 

The main holo transmitter was destroyed in the crash, but Satine and Obi-Wan managed to jury-rig a temporary solution with what limited hyper-matter they had left. 

“It is indeed disconcerting, my padawan. Such amount of force-sensitives is unheard of.”

“Yes, but the planet’s technology level is millennia behind galactic standards. They mostly use exonium to generate power, and even then their methods are incredibly inefficient. Their spaceflight capabilities, for now, are non-existent.”

“I will immediately order an exploration mission. We should be able to reach you within months.” Satine’s uncle, Oreen Kryze, interrupted. “We can try to trace the transmission, but I suspect we’ll need to map a new hyperspace route.”

“Then I believe we’ll at least stay relatively safe on this planet.” Obi-Wan looked at his master. “There is just one more thing I believe needs to be discussed… In private.” He emphasized the last part. Knowing when they are not wanted, Satine and her uncle left the respective rooms. 

“What is it, Obi-Wan?”

“This planet… I believe at least one of them succumbed to a dark side.”

“Are telling me that… one of them is a sith lord?”

“No. They have no idea of what a Sith is. But he is just consumed by the dark side. Mr. Dumbledore is certain that his visage is an outcome of dark rituals and not simply alien heritage. I think he knows more than he is letting on.”

“Hm… Do you believe you should get involved?”

“Dealing with the Dark Side is Jedi’s duty.” The padawan answered calmly. “I think it’s for the greater good.”

Just for a moment, there was a small glimmer in Obi-Wan’s eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly. 

“Fine then. I’ll inform the council of this development and your involvement in the war. But you  _ will _ leave as soon as Duke Kryze’s rescue ships arrive.”

“I hope we can end the conflict before then, Master.” Obi-Wan bowed before disconnecting.

“So… care to enlighten me about that  _ Jedi business _ ?” Satine asked as he exited the room. 

“Until we’re bound to leave, I’ll help in the war effort here.” He informed. “This Dark Lord of theirs poses threat to the entire planet.”

“I think you’ve meant  _ we _ will help in the war effort.” She countered.

“Satine… I appreciate it, but… It’s not really your war.” He tried, but it was clear he lost the moment she made up her mind. “These people…”

“Are similar to Jedi. My people fought against Jedi for years. Besides, I seem to remember last time the two of us sparred I gained the upper hand,  _ Cuyare _ .”

“I still won in the end.”

“Only because I didn’t want to damage that pretty face of yours.” She countered and swished her hair over the shoulder as she left the room. “Now let’s go. The  _ headmaster _ wanted to speak with us.”

“I’m not sure what’s your problem with that man.” 

“He berated me. For  _ excessive use of force _ . Well, sorry I didn’t stun people that were trying to kill me.” 

“Eh… let’s just get through with it.” He sighed. 

\----------

It’s been a month into the war and both Satine and Obi-Wan had enough. It turned out that the skirmish was a one-off and not how they conducted the war. The Headmaster had them gather intel and spy on people, but he never acted on anything they learned. Even if they had an occasional fight, he forbade them from using lethal force of any kind, instead making them stun or incapacitate the enemies. Obi-Wan probably now held the record of limbs cut without killing. 

Satine wasn’t a fan of killing. She only used blaster in self-defense, as per  _ Resol’Nare _ . But the headmaster took it to the extreme and tried to stop them from even defending themselves. His pacifistic views were graining on her. 

Obi-Wan was faring only slightly better. Jedi never attacked first, but they also always tried to protect the innocent. Right now, they were losing terribly due to how restricted they were. 

Today, the Jedi left with the marauders to do some recon, leaving Lily alone with Satine. Both hated to be left out, but James just learned his wife was pregnant and wouldn’t allow her to try and go for any mission. Obi-Wan volunteered Satine to stay and guard her if anything happened.

“So… how long?” Lily asked the Mandalorian as she entered with two glasses of sparkling water. 

“I’m not sure what you mean?” Satine tried to lie her way out, but she already knew her secret was out. Lily just glared at her for a moment, holding the glass. “Fine.” She relented. “Three months.” 

“Same here. How did you manage to hide the symptoms so well?” The witch inquired, curiously. 

“I’ve acquired a large supply of meds that I kept hidden from Ben.” 

“It won’t last and you know it. You need to tell him sooner or later.” 

“It’s not that simple. He… He’s a Jedi and I’ll one day lead house Kryze. We can’t just… elope on some remote planet with two droids as a witness.” Satine relaxed in her armchair.

“Why not? I mean you don’t have droids, but I’m sure we can get around it. Ministry wouldn’t care about your status. Either of yours.”

“I told you, Lily. There is a civil war going on in my homeland. My family leads one of the strongest fronts. Since my sister left the clan… I’m the last heir. Father decided that it was best if we ensured at least one member stayed alive, hence this  _ Kemiryc _ .” 

“It’s not fair. For both of you.” Lily protested. 

“Maybe not, but it would also be unfair for him to force the choice. He… It would probably destroy him. He would feel obliged to stay with me, but he still dreams of being a Jedi.” 

“Well, he should’ve thought about it before.” The witch huffed. 

“I’ll just have to hope to hide it until it’s time and find a good family for them…”

“Are you sure?” Lily asked hesitantly.

“That’s the only way. I… as much as I love Ben, I know what he’ll choose in the end. I already accepted it.” 

“Maybe I… If you stayed here until birth, I could adopt them as soon as they were born. We could pass them as twins.” She pointed at her own growing belly. “I know a charm that would hide the visual signs of pregnancy and your meds do well enough for the chemical changes.”

“I… thank you for the offer, but I don’t… Are you sure?”

“Yes. That way, you cloud stay in contact. You could even visit. We will make you their godmother. That way, you’ll have an excuse to stay close.”

“Won’t people suspect if he looks nothing like you?”

Lily just shrugged. “Wizards have no idea what genetics are about. Besides, nothing is certain when magic is involved.”

Satine tried to think of the pros and cons of the idea. On some level, she still clung to the hope that Obi-Wan would abandon the order and choose her, but she knew that he already made his choice. She couldn’t just demand that he leaves his life for her. She wasn’t sure she would be able to abandon hers to stay with him either. 

“ _ Ni vore. Vor Entye _ . Thank you.” She extended her hand, but Lily instead pulled her into a hug.

“So may it be.” The witch said when she let go of the Mandalorian.

“ _ Haat, ijaa, haa'it _ ”

\--------------

The war kept going. Not long before Lily and Satine would go into labor, the Potters learned that the dark lord targetted them personally. With no other choice but to go into hiding, they agreed to hide under the Fidelius. Lily wanted Satine to be the secret keeper, but in the end, they agreed to use James’ friend, Peter. 

Satine still decided to permanently stay with the Potters in hiding, serving as the last line of defense. Obi-Wan agreed whole-heartedly. 

The four Marauders and Lily became the only witnesses to the birth of Harran Kryze. Sirius and Lily were chosen as his godparents. Not two hours later, Charlus James Potter was born. All present (sans the children who had no idea about what was going on) swore on their honor never to reveal the truth about Harran’s birth. To the world, he would be Harry Potter.

A month later, Satine and Obi-Wan had to leave. As the ship arrived to pick them up and bring them back to Mandalore, the woman decided to leave Lily one last gift. She gave her the vambraces she used in combat, believing that the witch could make good use of them. Lily insisted on one more thing. In case she was ever going to die, she needed to be able to instantly send a signal to Satine. A small, easy to carry transmitter was left with her.

\----------

**Fourteen months later**

“Lily! He’s here! Take the kids and run!” James screamed, trying to reach for his wand before he realized he left it upstairs. 

His wife wanted to argue, but there were more important things. With Harry and Charlus in her arms, she ran to the nursery on the first floor. She had little time to put everything in place, but she believed it would work. 

The plan was stupid and risky and more in line with what her husband and his friends would make. 

She put the transmitter on Harry’s skin and allowed it to stick to him before activating it. Then, she wrapped him into the invisibility cloak. As much as it pained her, there was no way it would work on Harran. Hiding him and hoping Voldemort would go after Charlus first was her best bet. 

She could hear her husband screaming in rage downstairs. She worked as the roars of fury turned into the near-silent sound of a body falling on the hard floor. She knew her husband gave his life to buy her enough time to finish the preparation. She already knew the portkeys would fail. There was only one way for at least some of her family to survive. 

From outside, Peter saw a flash of green light downstairs that signified his former friend died.

Then, after a moment, there was another flash from inside the nursery. Another member of his family passed away. 

Another flash of green light, followed by one more. Except for this time the flash was brighter. And it was followed by a shockwave that obliterated everything on the property. Pettigrew was a coward, but he needed to know if his master was still alive. He needed to know if one of the children survived. 

He didn’t make it onto the first floor. In his rat form, he was half-way upstairs when a pale-white wand rolled down. He now knew that his master was dead. He grabbed the wand and ran away into the night. He needed to figure out a new plan to stay alive.

A small child laid in his now-destroyed cradle, wrapped in a cloak that seemed to reflect the light of stars. 

**One month later, a Mandalorian ship with ten Mandalorian commandos landed in Little Whinging, Surrey.**


	2. The Return of The Mando

Heir of Mandalore - C02/Return of the Mando

\-----------

**_Thirteen years later_ **

Harran looked at the three droids surrounding him. He checked his time and groaned. Mother would be coming for him soon. 

“Well… Not like there is too much time. Get on with it!” 

The droids barely lifted their legs to begin when his pupils expanded for a moment. In his mind, the time froze. 

_ Charge one _

_ Straight punch _

_ Kick _

_ Attack from behind _

_ Dodge and counter _

_ Swipe _

Then, his pupil focused and he rushed into action. The droid in front of him rushed forward, but Harran just flipped over him, allowing for it to crash with one of the others. The one that was still free closed the distance and tried to punch him, but the teen simply ducked and kicked the droid in its midriff section. It stumbled back, but with the wider distance, it could try and kick him. 

Harran knew that another droid was coming at him, so with a strong push of his legs, he leaped into the air and used the droid that tried to grab him as a springboard to get farther away, at the same time pushing it into the other one. The two met and fell down, disabled. 

Satisfied with his progress, he turned to the third one and tried to punch it, but it managed to step aside and try to deliver a strong left hook. Harranleaned back and passed, but in doing so he exposed himself to the swipe. 

His back hit the ground hard. On the nearby wall, a red ‘Defeat’ word glowed. 

“ _ Osik’la! _ ” He growled and jumped back on his feet. “I almost got it this time.”

“Harran!” His mother called from the control room upstairs. “Get here now.” She ordered harshly. He already knew he was in big,  _ big,  _ **_big_ ** trouble. He quickly dashed to the exit, where a guard was already standing. 

“I know, I know.” He dismissed the look. “But at least it’s no longer auburn.” He ran to where he knew his mother would be coming from.  _ Best to get this over with _ . 

“Harran Kryze! I believe I specifically forbade you from doing anything to your hair.  _ Especially _ dying it jet black.” His mother growled as soon as she’s seen him. 

“Well, you forbade me from bleaching it blonde. You only  _ implied _ that dying it black would be even worse.” He tried. 

“This is not a joke! Why do you keep doing it?” Her angry expression softened. “Why do you keep doing this? You used to love your hair. You always said that it made you look like your aunt.” 

He scowled. “You know very well why. I don’t want to have anything to do with  _ Him! _ ” He shouted. 

“Do not speak to me like that, young man!” Satine responded, getting riled by him. “I told you many times that he is not the one to bear the blame. He made his choice and I respected that!” 

“Well, he is a bantha for a father!” Harran stopped walking. “I don’t want to look like him”

“ _ Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaas'la. _ Remember?” Satine asked, trying to rein her emotions. A small smile crossed her face at the memory of his earliest questions. When he thought of his father as a mystery or a hero. Not… like this.

“It’s not who’s your father, but what father you’ll be…” He recited. “That’s just proof that he is all around  _ dikut  _ and parentage is not to blame. Of course, you can’t expect Jedi to be able to show any human emotions.” 

“Enough!” Satine shouted at him. “I’m done with this discussion.” 

“Then let’s discuss something else.” He didn’t let go. “Like the clone war that started recently.”

Satine resisted the urge to groan at her son’s stubbornness. “I regret giving Bo so much hand in raising you.” 

“Well, at least I’m not a coward.” 

For a moment, Satine’s mind drifted to when she last had a similar discussion with her sister, shortly before the war started.

_ \----------- _

_ "...In that case, perhaps we should start with why you oppose my rule?" The Duchess asked. _

_ The redheaded Kryze sighed. "It's nothing against you personally Satine. I think your views on peace are admirable actually. But they are unrealistic. There will always be those who are too desperate, angry, violent, or simply don't care for our people to be pacifists. And you are trying to impose that on all of us. We are warriors, and we need to remain warriors, yet you and the rest of the New Mandalorian government seem to want to stamp that out." _

_ "I am not trying to stamp out warriors Bo-Katan," Satine explained. "Our schools teach combat to every student, of every age. But why should we seek out war? I agree that we need warriors, Mandalore must be able to defend itself, and every Mandalorian must be able to defend themselves and their families to the best of their abilities. Our people are proud warriors, and I would never dream to take that away. But we cannot afford to be the conquers we once were. And Mandalorian Bounty Hunters and Mercenaries only inflame others against us. I am simply trying to do what is best for our people in the long run." _

_ Bo-Katan was silent a moment. She had no idea that her sister had such views. Death Watch apparently had some Intel quite wrong if this was the case. _

_ "And the Resol'nare?" _

_ "Where in the Resol'nare does it say we must be warmongers?" Satine shot back, a little smugly. "I have armor, the armor passed down to me by our father. It fits, even if I have no cause yet to wear it. I speak Mando'a fluently, as does every student that passes through a Mandalorian school. Although I don't use it, I was trained in combat by Mother just as you were, and I spar to keep up my skill twice a week. Plus I go to a firing range, when I have time, to maintain my skills with a blaster. Thus I am more than capable of defending myself and my family. I feel that I am working towards the betterment of my people, and thus the betterment of Clan Kryze. Until now, I had no children to raise, though I hope we can both agree on how to do that. As for rallying to the Mand'alor… Though I do not use the title, I AM the recognized Mand'alor,  _ Te Naakla Mand’alor _." Mandalore The Peaceful _

_ "You're not recognized by all Mandalorians," Bo-Katan pointed out. _

_ "True," Satine admitted. "But I have not heard the name of any other claimants, and every planet under Mandalorian rule has named me such officially." _

_ The redhead was silent a moment before snorting lightly. With a smirk, she commented, "I thought you were a pacifist?" _

_ “I’m a Mandalorian pacifist. There's a difference," Satine corrected. For a brief moment, her memory turned to her time on Earth. She experienced first-hand where true pacifism led in times of war. "Some violence is, sadly, necessary in the universe, whether we wish it or not." She sighed. "I never wanted to take away our warrior culture sister, I just don't want the rest of the galaxy to hate us… I don't want a repeat of the war that turned much of this planet into a barren desert, a war that started because the Republic feared our warriors, our growing numbers, and, most importantly, our desire for battle. But if that war comes again, I would do everything I could to win it," she assured her sister. _

_ Bo-Katan smirked. "That is...surprisingly similar to my own thoughts." She frowned slightly before adding, "I wish we'd talked like this before." _

_ "As do I," the elder sister confirmed. _

\------

“And why, pray tell me, do you consider putting the lives of our people in danger an act of cowardness?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Because they want it!” He countered. “Many people wish to join the war. They believe that it’s a cause worth fighting for.” 

“I hardly…” She began, but he made a gesture to ask and let him finish. He was actually calming down. 

“I spoke with Aunt Bo recently. She told me that many of our warriors wish for a chance to redeem themselves. To for once fight for the  _ right _ cause.”

“We are no longer warmongers.”

“No, but we went into the other end of extreme, Mother. Mandalore no longer has an official army. If we are ever attacked, we’ll be defenseless. And the Separatists  _ will _ come. They won’t care about neutrality or peaceful intentions. You speak of over five hundred planets directly, and over two thousand as the leader of neutral systems alliance.”

“I see your point, but I can’t just start raising an army.” She could agree with her son on some points. She wasn’t delusional to believe that the war would not affect them. But for now, their best defense was the neutrality pact.

“Allow volunteers to join the republic. Or at least rescind the law that makes them criminals for supporting  _ either _ side.” He suggested.

“I will consider this. But what guarantee I would have that the dissidents like Death Watch wouldn’t support the Confederacy?”

Harran never got a chance to answer, because the stained glass windows in the corridor they were walking suddenly exploded to the inside, raining sharp projectiles at them. It seemed like a miracle that none of it wounded them. 

Seven men dressed in traditional Mandalorian armor entered on jetpacks and aimed their blasters at them. One of them wore a suit of black and blue Mandalorian armor complete with a T-visor helmet that was painted with a distinctive cream-colored trident symbol above his visor. He also wore a striped light gray cape that displayed his clan marking, the symbol of the Death Watch. His shoulder pads were adorned with red-and-white rank insignia. 

“Death Watch!” Satine scowled. “You are foolish to attack my palace.” 

“And that is where you are mistaken, duchess.” Their leader countered smugly. “By the day’s end, you will be following our commands.”

Harran’s pupils expanded. 

_ Three stun blasts _

_ Kick _

_ Rocket _

_ Grapple _

_ Grenade _

_ Flame Thrower _

_ Stray blaster shot _

_ Blasters _

His pupils focused and he leaped into action. From his pocket, he pulled a small disc and activated it. The ear-piercing shrill distracted his opponents and allowed him to dive under their stun shots. He managed to swipe two with a well-executed maneuver. The third tried to kick him, but he leaped over his shoulders and tossed him into the other three warriors. 

The fall must’ve damaged the jetpack of one of the Death-Watch men because a stray rocket was fired and would hit him if he didn’t manage to catch it for long enough to change its trajectory so it safely exploded outside. At least that’s how it looked for the witnesses. Nobody needed to know he utilized force to guide it and not end up a charred corpse. 

The whipcord wrapped around him and knocked him down. The leader dragged him close and pulled out a grenade. By now, the guards reached them and were aiming their spears at them. 

“Nobody moves closer or I detonate it.” The leader barked. He pulled Harran into a standing position and pressed a blade that popped from his gauntlet to his neck. The boy could feel it press harder whenever he tried to take a breath.

“What do you want, Terrorist?” Satine asked while glaring daggers at the leader. 

“You will let us pass to the landing pad without any interruption.” He raised his hand with the grenade. “This is a hyper matter bomb with deadman’s switch. I let it go for even a moment and there will be nothing to search for.”

“You monster! Harran is innocent in this!” 

The leader was already moving slowly toward the nearest landing platform where a ship awaited.

“I’m not the monster here, Duchess. It’s you who gambles with the lives of our people on a mere word of liars.”

“What is this about?” She tried to occupy the terrorist while her guards mobilized for pursuit.

“About the same thing it always is. About restoring our true way. The Way of Mandalore.” 

He didn’t respond to any more of her questions. The attack was obviously planned well because it took them less than five minutes to reach a platform with a Kom'rk-class fighter/transport waiting. As the leader led Harran inside the ship, Satine could only watch helplessly. Her guard captain corrected her worst fears: if they tried anything at all, the probability of killing her son was too hard. They put a tracker on the ship and were preparing to tail it. 

Shortly after the ramp closed, a pulse of white energy emanated from inside and ripped the ship apart. The area touched by the sphere was burned out, leaving it as if it was cut out of existence. 

Satine collapsed on her knees and started crying. Her son was gone…

\-----------

Elsewhere, students from Hogwarts and visiting schools watched as the Goblet of Fire burned red and shook on its stand. The flames were leaping out and forming a ball in the center of the room. Most of the students cleared toward the walls or the exits. Many had their wands in their hand. 

Dumbledore stood at his stand, completely mystified by the events. In his hand, a piece of paper rested forgotten. 

Finally, the flame formed into shapes before being replaced by actual matter. The parts of the ship cut out of the fighter fell with a loud clank onto the ground. Leaving a man in strange armor and holding a blade to the neck of a teenager visible to all.

Harran had no idea what happened, but he saw an opportunity. The grenade would not explode immediately. It would be a one-and-a-half second before it vaporized everything in three units radius. He kicked his kidnapper into the knee. The confusion and surprise were enough for Harran to break free. He then jumped and kicked the grenade out of the Terrorist’s hand. With a strong push of the force, it went high into the sky. He thought that they were somewhere outside. To his surprise, the grenade exploded when it crashed into an invisible ceiling and tore a hole in it. 

Whoever kidnapped him finally got back to his senses and slapped the boy. Hard. 

“ _ Di’kutla Ad! _ What’ve you done?” 

“Me? You’re the one who almost killed me.” Harran seethed at him. 

Some of the older teachers, especially the ones that fought in the Blood War, recognized the armor. And the boy was similar enough that someone finally made a connection. 

“You’re Harry Potter!?” A teen from the crowd shouted.

The terrorist detached a part of his jetpack and reached to take off his helmet. Harran watched in surprise as the face of Governor Vizsla emerged from under it. He felt a bit sick, knowing that the man that visited his mother so often, that a person she trusted over managing the moon of Concordia, the one person in the government his aunt actually respected, was, in fact, a leader of terrorists.

“You… You traitor! You tried to kill my aunt! You tried to kill me!” He screamed at him. 

The younger students were being removed from the hall by the prefects, but nobody dared to interfere between the two in the middle. Teachers wanted to do something, but Dumbledore made a gesture to calm them. For now, they needed to just watch. 

“Traitor? No. I’m no traitor. I’m, in fact, a savior. I fight to preserve our ways. To stop corruption and inefficiency from taking root in our grand society.”

“The people  _ chose  _ my  _ buir _ !” Harry argued. “They decided that her ideals were worthy. You’re just a usurper who wishes for more power!”

Instead of answering, Pre Vizsla activated the item in his hand. A blade of black energy formed from it. “I assume you know this blade. The Darksaber. The Sword of Mand’alor. A weapon of  _ true _ leaders of our people. And as  _ Te Tegaanalyc Mand’Alor _ , I…” He didn’t finish, because Harran interrupted him.

“ _ Ni tion gar, solus verd at solus verd,”  _ He pointed at Vizsla before hitting his chest with a closed fist _. “Bal shi Te Kotycne ven’alorir Manda'yaim! _ ”

“You are a fool to challenge me. But very well. I will give you what you want, you stupid boy!”

At that point, Professor McGonagall lost her patience and wanted to charge in, wand blazing. She was stopped by Professor Flitwick. 

“No, Minerva. We must let it happen without interruptions, no matter what. The challenge that was issued is all but sacred.”

“And how’d ya know?” She glared at him. 

“Just… trust me.” He looked at her with determination. 

Meanwhile, the two warriors faced one another. Neither moved for a moment. Then, Vizsla’s muscle twitched and Harran’s pupil expanded. 

_ Dash _

_ Slash _

_ Kick _

_ Flight _

_ Blaster fire _

_ Flame thrower _

The list went on. For Harran, time seemed to have frozen as his perception was no longer in his body. He watched his opponent execute those moves within his mind. He could see a sort of sequence, but nothing else. His pupils focused and he steadied himself.

By now, he got used to this. He trained hard to be able to use his gift in the best possible way. To sharpen his reactions to be able to react to whatever his opponents tossed at him. But he never before was in an actual fight for his life. The closest was when he had to face that kid at the academy. And even then no one tried to kill him for real. At least he hoped he didn’t. 

Vizsla didn’t give him much time to prepare. He was already moving at him with his sword. Harran saw the way he wanted to attack and was already ducking under the trajectory. He delivered a punch to the unarmored side of Mandalorian, close to the liver. He also managed to grab one of the blasters before he jumped back. He used just a bit of force to get a greater distance. 

He fired several shots, but his opponent closed the distance while dodging almost all. One of the shots managed to scratch him, but the shoulder-pads easily absorbed the hit without real damage. Vizsla tried to cut him, but Harran once more dodged, this time pressing the blaster to the unarmored side of his enemy and pulling the trigger. In the nick of time, Vizsla twisted sideways and the shot only grazed his side. It would still hurt. 

Harran used the chance presented by the weird stance of his opponent and grabbed his wrist. He twisted his hand enough to wrestle the lightsaber from him. Vizsla dashed back with his jetpack, kicking the teen in the process, and moved up to gain a height advantage. He needed to stay at bay now that his enemy had a sword. 

He used his other WESTAR-35 blaster to try and take Harran, but the teen showed great skill at intercepting any shot he made and reflecting them back. Thinking fast, he deeply regretted that he had no slugthrower, the one thing his opponent definitely couldn’t deflect. He used the next best thing, which is a flamethrower in his vambrace. 

Harran rolled out of the way and used one of the heavy tables as a partial cover. When Vizsla was focused on trying to turn him into a crisp, he leaned from under it and fired several blaster shots. One of them managed to hit his left shoulder. The pain forced him to finally stop using the fire and change strategy again. 

As soon as Harran got from under the table, several darts sailed at him. He managed to dodge them and not expose himself to the follow-up whipcord slash. 

Seeing an opportunity, Harran managed to grab the line and pull. At the same time, he applied some pressure from the force to make Vizsla fly close to him. As his enemy was approaching, he readied himself. At the last moment, he stepped to the side and slashed with his lightsaber. 

Even though his opponent was moving fast, the attack was a clean-cut that separated Pre Vizsla’s head from his body. The helmet with the head inside rolled through the hall, making a clanking sound on the cobblestone floor.

Harran watched with a look of pure horror on his face. He immediately disabled the lightsaber and fell on his knees. Exhaustion was slowly seeping into his bones. He felt his stomach churn before rapidly grabbing one of the bowls that used to hold food before the fight began. He felt sick before throwing up into the bowl. 

Dumbledore watched the whole event before slowly approaching the boy. By now, only the sixth and seven years remained, and only because they were cut off from the doors and shielded themselves and their colleagues with magical barriers instead.

“Please forgive my intrusion.” The headmaster started gently, approaching the boy. 

“What? Oh… please, excuse me for the mess…” Harran stated absentmindedly. He was still sick from what he’d done. He didn’t really plan to kill Vizsla. Well, maybe he did. In his emotions, he didn’t consider the consequences of his actions and paid the price. He was just so angry. So… violent inside. 

“That is no problem, Mr. … Um, could I please have your name?”

“It’s Harran Kryze. Or I guess Harry Potter too since someone knows that one here.”

“Harran Kryze?” a man with a small mustache asked. “You’re Harran Kryze?”

“Yes… Is something wrong? I need to contact my mother and inform her of what happened. She needs to know that Vizsla was a traitor.”

“Mr. Potter,” Headmaster started, “It’s good to finally see you again. You were very young the last time…”

“Why does everyone call me Potter here? Nobody in the galaxy proper knows that name. Mom didn’t mention it to anyone beyond aunt and her most trusted guards.”

“But you’re Harry Potter! The-Boy-Who-Lived!” A sixth-year student exclaimed. 

“How do you… What sector is this? What planet?” He asked the questions, but a quick look around told him what to suspect. 

“Um… Earth? What another planet could it be?” A seventh year asked. 

“Ugh! Out of thousands of possible systems, I had to end up on one planet I wanted to avoid my whole life!”

“Mr. Potter, could we move the debate to a later date? For now, I need you to go to that room.” Headmaster pointed at the doors near the podium at which the adults sat. 

“Okay…” Harry didn’t really argue with what he was told. His senses were numb and he really wanted a rest. At some level, he knew that killing Vizsla was needed, but the short feeling of elation after the deed sickened him. All the hatred inside him sang for a brief moment before guilt overtook him. 

Inside the room, there were already three people waiting. First was a young woman. She was tall and willowy with long blonde hair and appeared to emanate a faint, silvery glow. When Harran looked at her, he felt a subtle push at his senses. He quelled it immediately without even trying to analyze what it was. He gripped the sword still in his hand tighter. Next was a thin, dark, and sallow-skinned man, with a large curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He looked like an overgrown bird of prey. The third one was a tall and extremely handsome young man with chiseled features, dark hair, and bright grey eyes.

“Do zey want us back?” The woman asked. “We ‘ave been vaiting for almost an ‘our”

“Yeah! Vhy are dey not coming?” The man asked in strongly accented basic. 

Before Harry had a chance to explain anything, a group of adults burst through the doors, startling him. He immediately jumped back and pressed his back to the wall. The lightsaber in his hand was now ready, but he chose not to ignite it yet. His ability didn’t kick in, but he was still on guard. 

“Incredible! Ladies and Gentlemen! We have a fourth Champion in the Tri-Wizard tournament!” 

“Ze boy?” The woman asked. “But ‘e iz just a…”

“I would be careful with offending him.” A tall man with greasy black hair interrupted her. “After all, he already killed one person today.” 

The three people that were initially in the room gasped.

“I… I didn’t really want to… But it… I…” Harran didn’t really know what to say. He had no idea what to even think about it.

“Let’s focus on the problem at hand first, Severus.” The headmaster spoke. “Harry, do you know what a Tri-Wizard tournament is?” 

“How the kriffin void would I?” He snapped. 

“But… why did you enter if you had no idea what it is?” The older woman in green robes asked. 

“I didn’t enter anything. I was having a nice day in the palace gym before a group of terrorists kidnapped me and then there was a flash of light that transported me to here.”

“That… is our fault. When we didn’t know who was the fourth contender, we used a spell built into the goblet to summon the person. It’s probably what brought you here.”

“Great. So you kidnapped me from my kidnappers. Any more good news? And how did that blasted thing even knew who I was?” 

“Magic works in mysterious ways. The true name of a person and intention of the one entering you must’ve been enough for it to recognize you.”

“That’s another matter. Only five people on this planet knew my true name. My adoptive parents, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black.” There was a collective gasp when he said the last name. “It must’ve been one of them that entered me. Or they revealed the secret to someone, which I doubt. From what my mother told me, the four Marauders were thicker than Durasteel.”

“It’s… not exactly true. I assume your ‘Mother’ didn’t tell you much about your real parents?”

“She told me enough about _ him _ . And I’ve been living with her for the past thirteen years.”

“We mean your real parents, you…” Whatever the greasy man wanted to say was lost because Harry interrupted him.

“Ah. You mean Lily and James?” He guessed. “They were my adoptive parents.”

“Adoptive? but you’re the last Potter!” 

“Yes, adoptive. I was born two hours before Charlus, so mom and they devised a plan to hide my birth. James and Lily claimed me as the twin of their son. Lily was really my godmother. She and Sirius. But enough about that. So my name came out of a cup. Why did you need to drag me half-way across the galaxy?” He asked.

“Harry, My boy. Whether you like it or not, you are now a champion in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The goblet creates a binding magical contract. If you do not participate, you will most likely die.” The headmaster informed.

“ _ Ne shab'rud'niÖ _ ” He cursed.

“Language!” A diminutive wizard with a white beard scolded him. Harran looked at him surprised for a moment. He didn’t know if the wizard understood Mando’a or just guessed what the phrase meant. In the end, the second was much more likely. 

“I believe my reaction was more than fitting the situation.” He argued. “Can I like… resign? Or quit it? Maybe put my name back into the cup and find me a replacement!?”

“It’s not how it works. Once the Goblet makes its choice, nothing can be done.” One of the official-looking man (the one with a toothbrush mustache) informed him in a grumpy voice.

“So no matter what, I must compete?” The teen asked. 

“I’m afraid that’s correct.” The man confirmed. 

“What exactly  _ is _ this tournament?” He questioned.

“The Tri-Wizard tournament is a test of your will, courage, skill, and magical prowess. It’s designed to test, which of the schools bring forth the best youth.” The other one of the official-looking men explained. “The first task will challenge your courage in the face of the unknown, so it will remain a secret until the day of the actual task.”

“It sounds somewhat like the Great Hunt, but very limited…” Harran mused to himself.

“What was that?” The man asked.

“Nevermind. Is that all?” He asked, irritated. He really wanted to sleep. Harry managed to push through the crowd and exit the room. The sight of the body and head of Pre Vizsla separated from one another made him slightly sick, but he pushed through. 

He aimed his blaster at the goblet, which still rested on the pedestal in the middle. He fired on maximum setting. The blast sent the item flying toward the wall. 

“Mr. Potter!” The teacher screamed. 

He ignored them. Walking toward the goblet, he kept firing at it. The shots at first seemed not to do anything beyond throwing the cup back a bit. Finally, it landed in the corner of the great hall. Harran just kept firing. The expression of pure hatred on his face. 

No adult tried to stop him, all too worried about their safety.

Finally, he got tired and the rage inside him let go. In place of the goblet, there was now only a smoldering hole. The goblet was obliterated from existence. 

“Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?” The greasy-haired man screamed.

“Destroyed an incredibly hazardous item that should’ve never been even anywhere close to children.” He barked at them.

“And any evidence that could help us figure out who entered you.” A very scarred man with a peg leg and a fake eye scowled. 

“Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black. Those are the only three who could’ve entered me under my real name.”

“That’s not exactly true…” Dumbledore started. “You see, all three are dead. Last year, there was an… incident… We can discuss it further in my office, but Mr. Black named someone named Harran Kryze the heir to his fortune. It was quite public while everyone searched for someone with this name.” The headmaster changed approach mid-sentence and Harran caught it. He was definitely hiding something. 

Harran cursed. So it wasn’t a simple case like that.

“Great. If there aren’t more worrying news, I need to check my supplies.” With that, he turned to the piles of metal that now rested in the middle of the Great Hall. The broken part of the ship contained mostly the cargo hold and electronics, but nothing useful in getting help. At least the students already left the hall. Adults left him to it and went to deal with the mess.

“Mr. Potter? The headmaster asked me to tell you that he rented you a room in Three Broomsticks at Hogsmeade.” The woman in green robes walked to him. 

“Oh. While I’m grateful for his effort, I refuse the debt. The cargo hold contains an emergency camping set that I’ll be using until I manage to get something more permanent.”

“I… see…” The woman nodded but looked offended. “Please, stay out of the forest. It’s full of dangerous animals.”

“Seems fair enough.” He shrugged and started to rummage through the other storage spaces in the part of the ship that arrived with him. 

He played that game until he was sure it was secure. He focused on the force and slowly lifted the parts of the ship off the ground. He then started to pull it outside, through the doors, and onto the fields. He would work on the parts later. For now, he wanted to sleep.

\----------


	3. The Trial of The Mando

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N I love the response I'm getting so far. Please, don't hesitate to leave reviews. I live for reviews. They are what fuels the black hole I have for a heart.

**Heir of Mandalore - C03/The Trial of the Mando**

* * *

Harran woke up at sunrise. He wasn't used to it, but he made sure to set the alarm on his pocket computer to something early. He needed to start working on things fast. There was much to sort out and he wanted to be done as soon as possible. The headmaster mentioned something about will reading. It was definitely one of his top priorities. He needed resources.

The ruined part of the ship did not have any proper transmitter parts ready, but Harran believed he could jury-rig one strong enough to send a single signal. The only problem was that if he didn't compete in that blasted tournament, he would die.

Still, his first point of order was establishing a base of operation for himself. Tent surrounded by ruined ship wasn't exactly an ideal place to stay with winter approaching. He ended up building a wall around his tent with the walls and floor of the ship for now. It was rudimentary but offered some protection from anyone sneaking into his tend. The way it was set, no one would be able to steal anything without entering through the main doors and he used a stun grenade and a camcorder he found to catch anyone entering when he was away.

His first stop was the castle infirmary. One of the younger students pointed him there. In the early morning hours, it was all but empty.

"Hello?" He called.

For a moment nothing happened. Then, an old matron in white robes walked from a room in the back.

"It's only seven-thirty! I swear if those twins… Oh." She paused when she saw who entered. "Hello, dear. What can I help you with?"

"I… I came for the remains of… my opponent." He admitted. He and Vizsla might've fought, but the older man was still a _Mando'ad._ He deserved a proper burial.

"Why would… oh. I'm sorry. Was he someone close?" Poppy remembered parts of the argument, particularly the strong emotions. She was a healer for more than two decades and considered herself at least above average in reading people. And she saw that the boy had _some_ connection to his captor.

"He… Vizsla was an associate of my mother and a colleague of my aunt. I knew him… at least I thought I did before it turned out he was a leader of a terrorist organization." Harry admitted. He wanted to get on with this, but the guilt weighed on him.

The matron didn't speak further but led him into the back, where a body rested on a floating stretcher. He carefully lifted the white sheet that covered him, only to see his head back in place, attached to the body.

" _Vor entye_ for showing him respect." He nodded toward the woman. "What of his belongings?"

"I… I kept them all here, but the ministry demanded them to be turned over." She told him reluctantly.

"What!?" Harran shouted. "How dare they try to… This armor rightfully belongs to the people of Mandalore, not some greedy paper pusher! Who decided that…" He was interrupted by the sound of several people entering.

"What's the commotion about? I was told I could find…" The apparent leader of the group, a portly man with rumpled gray hair, asked. "Harry Potter as I live and breathe!" He smiled and walked toward Harry, who instinctively tensed. "Cornelius Fudge, the minister of magic" He introduced himself. Behind the man, there were four other people dressed in identical brown long-coats. Harran guessed they were protection details. Especially with how tense they were when his hand went close to the blaster he carried with him. He decided to ignore the woman in hideous pink for now. She didn't have anything of a warrior in her from the looks of it.

"You can start by introducing yourself. And explaining why are you trying to _steal_ from me, you _chaakar_." Harry snarled.

"Now… there is no need for… What is it about anyway?" The man finally asked.

"I have many complaints." Harry made a pointed gesture of pointing his finger at the portly man. "I was summoned here from across the galaxy, I was forced into some joke of a tournament, and now someone's trying to steal the armor that by all rights belong to me." He ended the rant.

"The armor belongs to the ministry! It's a dangerous artifact that…" The pink woman began, but Harran interrupted her.

"It does not. It has nothing to do with magic. That armor is a piece of advanced technology and centuries of tradition. There is nothing in it that you would have any right to." He snapped at the woman.

"Now see here!" She looked down at him. "We need to ensure the safety of our citizens from all unexplained…"

"We can come to an agreement, or I'll sue your government before the high court." That shut them all up. Harran didn't specify which court, but he suspected that planetary laws were mostly respectful of private property.

"Fine. Take that pile of junk!" The woman in pink snapped before realizing what she said. Cornelius looked at her irritated. He didn't get anything to say in that debate, which he regretted. Harran picked the armor and walked past the people without saying the word. The stretcher followed him.

"Wait!" The minister tried to stop him, but Harran didn't even slow down.

* * *

The Darksaber made cutting trees for the funeral pyre easy. Transporting them without using force directly was a challenge, but it served as a good exercise. He could still push force into his muscles, but it only helped in so much.

Some students watched him from afar, but none dared to approach him. He was just fine with that. The teachers also left him alone. It was about an hour after noon when he finished. The body, wrapped in the white sheet, was placed on the top. He made a rudimentary crest of Clan Vizsla on it.

" _Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la._ " He spoke before lighting up a piece of cloth soaked in strong alcohol and tossing it onto the pyre. Harran didn't stay to watch.

He left for the nearby village, hoping to find a bank there where he could discuss the matter of his inheritance. Or at least get some information about where to go to get it resolved.

The Hogsmeade was a quiet, little town. It looked more like a settlement. And yet, many stores and places he recognized (in purpose, not name). From asking a passerby, he learned that there was no bank here, but he would find the only bank in Diagon Alley. Upon further questioning, he got directions to the pub called Three Broomsticks, where he could use floo to the bank (whatever it was).

The owner of the pub indeed allowed him to use her fireplace to travel. She wanted to charge him at first, but he promised to pay her back after the visit. The kind-hearted woman agreed and even explained to him how to use that method of travel.

Stumbling out of the fireplace in the bank, Harran muttered a curse under his breath. He already could attest that he hated that form of travel. So inelegant, even if fast. It felt like being tossed through a small hole and then dropped through another one.

There was a small queue, but he decided that he could wait. When it was his turn, he approached the goblin sitting in the window. Anyone he spoke about the bank warned him of the goblins. They were supposed to look like foul, twisted creatures with no goodness in their heart. He snorted at the description. They looked quite normal for a sentient species. If he had to guess, he would put them in the same category as Lanniks.

"Excuse me, I'm here about a will. I was told I'm a beneficiary." He asked directly.

"Do you have your summon?" The goblin snarled at him.

"No. I didn't receive any summon." He replied truthfully.

"Then don't bother me, stupid wizard. No summon means you get nothing." The teller returned to browsing his papers. "Get lost before I call security. I swear, your kind never learns."

" _Chaavla Hut'uun_." Harran scowled and started to walk away. As soon as his backs were turned, his pupils suddenly expanded.

_Overhead slash_

_Spin_

_Strike_

His pupils focused and in one fluid motion, he drew the Darksaber and ignited it. The goblin was leaping at him with a battleax and a war-cry on his mouth. Harran managed to sidestep and cut off the head of the weapon. His opponent was now left with a clean-cut stick. While the top of his weapon might've been made of durable material, the handle was wooden and easy to cut.

The goblin didn't give up and spun around, trying to hit Harran with another surprise attack. He managed to easily step back and leave the range. Still, he could feel the anger rise in him. Not only did that goblin plain dismiss him without even hearing his case, but he also insulted him and now tried to kill him.

It was lucky that most wizards already left the bank, none of them saw Harran toss his hand forward. An invisible wave hit the goblin and tossed him into the wall, creating several cracks.

The goblin guards surrounded the young Mandalorian and aimed their halberds at him.

" _Ne shab'rud'ni…_ " He warned them. Some of the goblins looked at one another.

" _Tion'Gar Johaa Mando'a?_ " One of them asked. It managed to actually surprise the teen. The goblin just asked if he speaks mando'a… in perfect mando'a. There was a bit of a strange accent, but it was still smoother than any outsider he heard try to speak.

"' _lek. Tion'Gar?"_ Harran asked. It was stupid to ask 'you too' to a question about speaking language, but he chose to be sure.

" _Elek._ " The goblin confirmed. ***** _"It's a surprise to hear one of your kind speak fluently in our language. Who taught you?"_

" _My mother. And I guess aunt. How did_ you _learn Mando'a? I was sure this planet was far enough into wild space that no one arrived here."_ Harran asked. He was rather confused.

" _We've been speaking Mando'a for generations."_ Another goblin answered. " _What do you mean planet?"_

" _I'm from Manda'yaim. I was dragged to this planet for some stupid tournament._ " Harran explained. He noted that when he told them the name of the planet, many goblins either tensed or looked unsure. _"And I'm getting tired that everyone here considers inter-planetary travel impossible. You have more developed Force use than an ancient group of children-kidnappers._ " The actual word he used was Jetii, but goblins didn't have records of them. The word had a bit different meaning to them. In their legends, Jetii were similar to Fey, who kidnapped young goblins who showed a strong aptitude for magic. Harran didn't know it yet. Hence his surprise that everyone once more aimed their weapons at him.

" _Don't insult us._ " The lead goblin snarled. " _Or are you looking for a fight?"_

" _Can you please not? I wish no fight with you today. My name is Harran Kryze. I came to speak about my inheritance when that one,_ " he pointed at the goblin that first attacked him, _"treated me like a Dar'Manda and then attacked me._ "

After this explanation, roughly half of the goblins that surrounded him lowered their weapons. The others still remained tense, but they no longer glared at him.

" _Is that so?_ " A new voice joined. A goblin in intricately decorated armor, accompanied by three other warriors, entered the bank's atrium. The goblins present all straightened up and presented their weapons. Harran made a salute with his lightsaber. He could guess it was someone important.

" _Yes."_ He confirmed with conviction.

" _Forgive him. He will not repeat his mistake, honorable warrior. Still, you stood your ground. Most wizards would run in fear the moment a goblin reached for his weapon."_

" _Hard to see with your backs turned. My instincts saved me from having an ax in my spine today."_ Harran scowled in the direction of his opponent before returning his gaze toward the goblin leader.

" _Hm… He will be punished for his dishonorable behavior. Now, follow me_." Harran felt like he could trust the goblin leader. The goblin led him to a throne room filled with various trophies. There was of course a throne there, as well as several smaller chairs at each side. Above the throne hanged a giant skull of some monster.

" _Impressive decoration. Did you hunt it yourself?"_ He asked the goblin leader

" _Indeed. A Hebridean Black, one of the more aggressive breeds of Dragons."_ The goblin certainly took pride in his prey. " _Now, you tell you came from the stars, yes?"_

" _Yeah. Manda'yaim. It's supposedly about a month of hyperspace journey without a map, but about four days if you know the way."_ He repeated what his mother told him. He asked about earth often enough to get some general grip.

" _So you've seen Manda'yaim, the legendary homeworld of our culture…_ " The goblin leader looked at Harran pensively. " _And are you the follower of Resol'nare?"_

" _Education and armor, self-defense, our tribe, our language and our leader - all help us survive_." Harran recited the rhyme his aunt taught him. " _Teach the children our culture, wear your armor, protect your kin, speak the language, and follow Mand'alor._ " He decided to elaborate to make sure there was no doubt he understood what it actually meant. " _I swore by it on my tenth birthday, when my aunt first gave me a blaster._ "

" _Blaster?"_ The goblin leader asked.

Harran drew the WESTAR-35 blaster he took from Vizsla. " _This is a blaster. A most common weapon in the galaxy._ "

" _Curious. I've never seen anything like this before…_ "

The teen realized a crucial mistake he made while dealing with the goblin and decided to correct it. " _Sorry, but I do not remember your name._ "

" _You are right. I did not introduce myself. Name's Ragnuk the tenth. I'm the Mand'alor of the Goblins on this… planet._ "

" _I am Harran Kryze, the son of Satine Kryze, named The Peaceful Mandalore and leader of all clans."_

"Um… Could you please speak English?" A wizard that was up until now standing in the back of the room asked, clearly tired of making sense of their talk.

"Fine." Harran looked at the man with a bit of distaste.

"Dirk Cresswell, Goblin Liason office."

"Harran Kryze."

"Oh! You're the one that _the prophet_ wrote about today? The mysterious fourth champion?"

"Yes. I was also just now in the middle of a discussion. What do you want?" Harran glared at the man.

"I was just curious. You seemed to be speaking in perfect Gobbledegook."

"It's _Mando'a_ , you _Di'kutt_." both Harran and Ragnuk snapped at the wizard at the same time. They looked at each other for a moment before the goblin started laughing, showing his sharp teeth. Dirk instinctively took a step back, but Harran remained unfazed. He was used to various aliens, seeing as his mother often took him to visit a number of other systems.

"I like you, _burc'ya_." The king extended his hand to Harran, who shook it in the universal sign of friendship. "You have my respect. Ask for any help and the goblins will support you."

Dirk was left bewildered. Such declaration was unheard of. He worked for years to even be allowed to meet Ragnuk. The fact that he wasn't hated was already a big leap. Now that boy suddenly became best friends with the king of all goblins. Or at least those that have any central authority. There were some wild tribes living here and there.

"Thank you, _burc'ya._ " Harran nodded to the king. "For now, I only wish to resolve the matter of my inheritance. For as long as I'm stuck here, I need some resources to get by."

"Of course. Sharphook will lead you to your vaults. While Wizards might not have known, we Goblins were aware that the Potter Fortune was signed over to you."

" _Vor entye_."

"No debt between friends." Ragnuk waved his hand and one of his guards moved toward the doors, signaling for Harran to follow him.

When they arrived at the first vault, Harry's eyes almost bulged.

"There is enough Aurodium here to buy a small planet. Or at least a moon." He looked around to take in the piles of precious metal.

"Heh. That's just the first of five vaults. Two of them are rather empty, but the rest contains even more than this one."

"What do you mean?"

"You inherited four separate vaults: Potter, Black, Pettigrew, and Lupin. The fifth vault was made by the goblins for the Kryze family when the first person signed over their fortune to you."

"Why would someone sign over their fortune?"

"Simple. You are an orphan that saved them. They were grateful for bringing justice to their lost loved ones. Hence they chose to give their savings to you and not the ministry."

"So… people gave me money in their wills?"

"Yes. Quite a lot of them. Your vault is one of the largest in the bank." Sharphook clarified.

"Huh. At least now I have resources."

After he picked a sturdy leather bag he found a bit deeper into the vault, Harry loaded it with enough gold to buy the necessary supplies to survive. After that, he visited the other vaults. By the end, he was certain he wouldn't need to worry about credits ever. He had enough Aurodium coins to last him for ten lifetimes. Sharphook gave him a crash course about the value of each coin type. After everything was done, Harran returned to the goblin king's throne room where he awaited.

"Ah. I see you are done."

"Yes. Thank you for your assistance. Sharphook mentioned an account manager. Is it possible to speak to him?"

"I can arrange a meeting in the afternoon."

"One more thing before I leave for now. I noticed that most wizards look down on you…"

"Yes, they consider us lesser beings." Ragnuk scowled.

"How would you like to mess with their precious tournament? They tried to force a _Mando'ad_ into it, so they will learn the consequences."

Harran ended up buying an expanded trunk that would fit all his shopping. His next stop was to buy half of the bookstore and then visit the pawnshop. He didn't get many more useful books, but there was an artifact that was ten times as important. An honest-to-force Jedi Holocron. The best part was that the seller thought it was some old junk that was only good as a decoration. Harran was in no hurry to correct him.

He couldn't find many useful supplies for work, but he got an owl-order catalog from pretty much every store. When the woman in the clothing store absolutely refused to make him anything that would fit under his armor, he decided to ask Ragnuk for help. Goblins surely had some better clothes.

"Ah! Kryze!" Sharptooth greeted him as soon as he entered. He was clearly waiting for him. "Your account manager is waiting." Without much ceremony, Harry was led to the back of the bank, where, in a comfortable office, he met with the account manager.

The discussion was very fruitful. He learned about the state of his account and the properties he owned around the world. It was a rather long list, but he didn't bother much. Some of them he chose to rent as he doubted he would live in them any time soon. He was satisfied when he found a location in Hogsmeadge that he could stay in. The goblin assured him that they could have it ready in two planetary cycles. He gave them specifications for rooms (the goblin was very satisfied with his choice as it very closely resembled the goblin house). When asked about wards, he just asked for everything including The Fidelius Charm. He added it to the list of things he would experiment with, if only because it was damn useful. Per Ragnuk's request, he was given Goblin prices, which were minuscule compared to what they charged humans. But the manager wasn't about to complain. He would still earn a fortune in his cut of income from the renting. Now that the money was being put back into use.

Being done with the thing, he was led back to Ragnuk's throne chamber.

"So… what of my offer?" Harran asked as soon as he entered.

"I really like you, _burc'ya_. I'll see you at the first task."

" _Ret'urcye mhi_ " He said goodbye and was about to leave, but Ragnuk called after him.

"If you're curious, the first task is…"

"No." Harran refused the offer. "A champion with no honor is a champion of _aruetiise_. They said it's supposed to be a surprise, so I'll just pack the heavy guns when I go in."

" _Jate'kara_ "

"And to you." Harran left. He had a tournament to prepare.

* * *

The weeks to the tournament, Harran spend training with his lightsaber and getting used to wearing Vizsla's armor. Now it was his armor. Pure beskar too. Once he scraped the paint it had a nice silverly polish. He had to get rid of the Death Watch insignias anyway.

For the first two days, he had to endure a constant crowd of wizards that tried to hound him. Students got bold enough to try and get close to him, the reporters and adult wizards wanted to befriend him for scoops or business connections. Luckily, he was scary enough during the training that nobody dared to get close to his flame-thrower vambrace. The ship parts had tons of ammunition and fuel for jet-pack. Enough to last him for the stay or until he found some source of it.

The Holocron proved to be invaluable in continuing his training with a lightsaber. He trained with Beskad at home, but now he had to get used to the new balance.

It was created by a Jedi from the time before the Ruusan Reformation. It focused solely on lightsaber combat but contained some force-powers that could be used to supply the combat, such as a shockwave generated by plunging a force-charged lightsaber into the ground. Harran was already planning a trip to where the Holocron was supposedly found. The arctic.

He moved to the warded Shrieking Shack as soon as it was finished. The goblins used the ship parts to create a small bunker/armory for him to keep his things.

The upper floor contained three bedrooms, a 'fresher, and a library. The ground floor had study, _karyai_ (main living room of a traditional Mandalorian house - a single big chamber for eating, talking, resting, and even the last secure stronghold when under attack), kitchen, and training room. In the cellar next to the training room he had an armory with reinforced walls, where he stored all advanced tech and worked on creating a way home.

Since the place was hidden under Fidelius with him as the Secret Keeper, he could enjoy complete freedom everywhere around the possession. His training in the garden was much more comfortable without the onlookers. He missed training droids, but he had different things to practice too. Especially when goblins started to invite him to train with them.

When he was visiting the local tavern for one day, he got a strong scolding for a professor that caught him there. Apparently, he missed some important ceremony. He took great pleasure in informing her that he was easy to reach by owl post. She was still seething when he ran out on her.

Finally, the day of the first task came.

"Why are you wearing this… this… armor?" One of the judges asked when Harran entered the tent. "You're only allowed to have your wand with you!"

"Actually," Sharphook entered the tent right after Harran and grinned at the judges. "He's perfectly allowed the non-magical armor, and one magical item of his choice."

The goblin guard became Harran's something-like-a-friend-but-not-quite somewhere along the way. They often sparred together and had professional respect for one another, but there was nothing deeper.

"But… but…" Bagman tried to argue.

"Besides, other champions are allowed some light armor as well. I can guarantee that _Beskar'gam_ Harran wears is as light as their leather protective gear." Sharphook had fun messing with the wizards.

"Why is the goblin even here?" Crouch grumbled.

"Goblin delegation arrived here because I invited Ragnuk the tenth to witness my task. Sharphook was just wishing me good luck." Harran mirrored the goblin's grin to the point where wizards started to wonder if he had some goblin blood in him. It would certainly explain some things, like why they accepted him so openly.

"Fine. But now only champions are allowed here. Be lost, goblin." Minister tried to get Sharphook to leave. The warrior gave Harran one last salute and left.

What followed was a long speech about the challenge ahead (stealing from a kriffin dragon), a drawing of straws (of course he would get the most vicious breed possible), and long waiting for Harran's turn. He was the last. Most of the time he spent meditating and practicing Occlumency. The book he found about protecting his mind gave him the basics he could work with for now. It would protect him from any outside influence on his mind.

* * *

When the cannon fire announced it was his turn, Harran took his helmet and walked into the light of the arena. At first, the noise almost deafened him. There were people from all over the world. He noticed Goblin Delegation taking a part of the stands. He turned to them first.

" _Oya!_ " He shouted before putting on his helmet.

" _K'oyacyi!"_ He could hear some goblins respond. He was now satisfied. His blasters were loaded, vambraces full of useful tricks, and lightsaber rested safely hidden next to his blaster holster.

He chose to paint his armor white for today, to symbolize the new beginnings, and his trial. Parts of his helmet, left chest plate guard and right shoulder pad, as well as left shinguard, were painted red. To give tribute to his mother. Over his right shoulder, he had a black cape with an empty white logo. He wanted to make it clear that today he would earn the right to bear his clan Krest. His aunt promised to take him for the hunt on his sixteenth birthday. Not that his mother was happy with the idea, but she wouldn't stop the tradition. She had her own trial at the same age.

The dragon had black scales and was lizard-like in appearance. It also had yellow eyes, with vertical pupils like a cat's, bronze horns, and similarly colored spikes that protruded from its long tail which it probably would gladly deploy in combat.

Harran looked around. The arena was large and littered with stones of various sizes. He could try sneaking past the dragon. It was chained near the nest but tried to break free. Its fire couldn't reach the stand, but he could guess that as soon as he got in range the beast would hit him with the full power of it. He trusted his armor, but not to that extend.

The other option was to distract the dragon. He had the mobility. He could get its attention and then taunt it away from the nest. That plan would rely on his speed and agility, as well as how well he could out-maneuver the dragon. It was wild, but much more likely to succeed than his other ideas.

Of course, there was also the heads-on approach that meant facing the dragon in combat. Not the best option.

He started his jetpack and rose above the ground. He could hear some shouts of surprise from the public. Good. Let them be impressed by his tech.

The dragon noticed him. With a roar, it flapped the giant wings and also rose above the ground. The two of them faced each other from distance, but then the dragon dashed toward him. Harran leaned back and allowed his gear to move him away. He watched as the monster tried to wrestle with the chain while tossing fire at him. He was in the middle of judging the best way to move past it when his pupils dilated.

_Broken chain_

_Dragon_

_Dragon_

_Dragon_

_Dragon_

_Dragon_

He watched the monster attack him. He saw its various moves. Then, he realized what the first message meant.

His pupils focused and he immediately ducked low. A link from the chain that held the dragon back broke and sailed right through where he was just a moment ago. Now free, the dragon chased after him and tried to fry him or eat him or maul him.

Harran didn't stop to ask.

Instead, he pumped the power in his jet-pack to the max and then some and flew the other way. The beast chased after him. The two of them maneuvered first around the arena, then over the forest, finally going up into the clouds.

Harran was happy to use any chance he had to use some of his gear.

At any given chance, at each turn, at each dive or rise, he tried to shoot the dragon with his blaster. It didn't work that well. Even with the power of WESTAR-35, it only irritated the dragon without any real outcome. He tried to aim at the eyes, but to get a good shot he would need to stay stable and it would eat him before he got a clear line.

When the fire was getting close, he used the flame-thrower in his vambrace. the two met and created an explosion. Two secondary benefits were that it confused the dragon and gave him a boost to lose him.

As the two were rising above the forest, Harran tried to get high above the arena while looking for some cove. He needed some smokescreen to try something else. Then, he remembered about the grenades he packed. Detaching one, he checked quickly to make sure it was the correct one before activating it. After a second he let it go.

Before it came in contact with the dragon, a thick cloud of gray smoke exploded on its path.

Harran turned the jet-pack off and allowed himself to start free-falling down. He drew his sword with one hand and kept it ready while the other was primed on his vambrace. He needed to time it perfectly.

The dragon had no chance to realize what happened. It already entered the cloud of smoke when suddenly three consecutive explosions rocked its stomach and something hot traveled down his stomach.

Harran activated the jetpack closer to the ground, only to see that the dragon survived both exploding darts and the lightsaber. His instinct warned him of imminent attack and he had to dash toward the castle or the Dragonfire would annihilate him. The beast was right behind him. He managed to swirl between the towers, which stopped the dragon from wasting its breath to burn him. But the beast also didn't care what it ruined.

Harran could only guess that the tower he destroyed was the headmaster's office. He didn't check, but he remembered from when he looked up the castle layout. Oh well.

Their wild chase also ruined a wooden bridge leading to the castle from near the forest. Again, Oh well.

Finally, Harran did something very stupid. He twisted midflight and laser-tagged the Dragon's neck where one of the darts exploded. He then fired every rocket he had on his vambrace right at that spot. With a shift of his bodyweight, the jetpack changed direction and sent him flying right after those rockets.

It would be a close fit.

He managed to dodge most of the dragon's fire and allowed the armor to take the rest.

His lightsaber was ignited as the rockets exploded.

His lightsaber cut through the weakened skin as he came in contact.

The dragon's severed head fell onto the arena next to its body as he landed next to the nest.

People either cheered or stared at him dumbfounded.

He picked the egg and walked out of the arena to get checked by the medic. Or at least rest somewhere in relative peace. Not that it would last too long.

* * *

Back on Mandalore, Satine Kryze donned her armor for the first time in five years. The newly painted gray and gold plates rested on her tired body. She had it refitted and adapted to her role. She was the Mand'alor now and had to look the part.

Over the gray plates, there were flower motifs made in gold color. On her chest plate, shoulder pads, vambraces, and in several other places, she put teal stones. The faceplate of her helmet was detached and turned into a mask while the helmet itself had a crown added to it, resembling her usual hairstyle. White and gold cape flowed behind her.

Reluctantly, she put on the mask and overlooked the square full of her people. Many had their own armors on too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://discord.gg/SKt67kWrhw <\--- Link to my discord when you can talk with me


	4. The Clan of the Mando

Heir of Mandalore - C04/The Clan of the Mando

\----------

The nurse was panicked when he entered. Apparently, she’s seen his little show. She tried to check him over, but it turned out that his armor protected him quite well. He was only a bit hot. Nothing that couldn’t be cured with a light salve that he would apply later. 

Harran fully expected Ragnuk to be the first to enter to congratulate him. Instead, he found himself face to face with a bit pudgy boy with brown hair. He was dressed in Gryffindor robes and carried strange something in his hands. It was a folded fabric that seemed to hold the reflection of the stars in it.

“H-Hi Harr-Harry?” He started although he seemed intimidated. 

“Who’re you?” 

“N-Ne-Neville Longbottom.” 

“And you want?” He raised an eyebrow.

“T-This.” He pushed the fabric into Harran’s hands. “It… Dumbledore said it belonged to your Father… Step-father? Adopted father? I’m not sure. It was James Potter’s cloak before he died. I got it for my first Christmas at Hogwarts, but I guess it belongs to you… It’s the invisibility cloak. I wanted to return it as soon as I learned who you are, but… You were nowhere to be found.”

“Huh…” Harran was confused. He could sense that the boy was actually honest with him. It was not fear that made him avoid him or even return the cloak. He genuinely wanted to hand over a very valuable item, because it was the honorable thing to do. “Thank you, Neville.” 

“Um…” The Gryffindor started. “Do you think… you could teach me?”

“I don’t think I follow…”

“To be like you! To be… good at what you do.” Neville beamed. “You were awesome! And you didn’t use magic! I… I’m not exactly good at magic myself… People say I’m barely more than a squib.” 

Harran heard the term squib: a person born to two magicals that didn’t have enough magic to use it himself. A rather insulting term. 

“I could teach you some if you want.” He decided that if the boy wanted, he saw no reason not to. After all, he returned to him an item that he had no real obligation to give away. Then, he got another idea. “Or, I could make a Mandalorian out of you. A true Mandalorian.” 

Neville gulped. “What… What do you mean?”

“You could become a Mandalorian, like me. _Mando’ad_. Travel the galaxy, enjoy the freedom far away from this mad society.”

“Um… can I think about it?” He asked. 

“Sure. Send me an owl when you decided.” 

“Thank you… You’re cool.” Neville said. “The papers were wrong about you.”

“You’re braver than you know it, Neville.” Harran nodded. “I’ll make a Mandalorian out of you yet.” 

Neville sneaked through a loose flap at the side of the tent just as the matron returned. 

“Well, you’re healthy enough to go and the judges want to give you scores. Also, you’re worse than your fa…” She caught herself. “than James. Outflying a dragon… who gets such ideas!” She wandered off, complaining about the recklessness of people. 

Harry appreciated that people accepted that he wasn’t James Potter’s son. At least some of them. There was Dumbledore who sent him seven invites a day, each addressed to Harry J. Potter, but some people clearly never learned anything. 

When he entered the arena, the other three champions were already standing before the judges. The Goblins created a protective circle around the dragon and were now arguing with the Minister and his pet pink toad. Harran decided that judges could wait and beelined toward the dragon remains. 

“What’s going on here?” He asked, startling the minister.

“Those _creatures_ refuse to return the Dragon to the ministry!” The toad spewed. 

“Good. By your own law, this dragon is mine and mine alone. Ragnuk is only doing me a favor, for which I’m grateful.”

“Yours? Don’t make me laugh. A child has no right to the dragon. You caused enough troubles by killing it.” Minister dismissed him. “Order your…” He didn’t finish, because Harran smiled and interrupted him. 

“As a champion of the Tri-Wizard tournament, I’m considered an adult. Not to mention, that I just earned my signet by killing a dragon in single combat.” Had he stayed on Mandalore and had his trial under his aunt’s supervision, he would hunt one of the many avians of the galaxy. Clan Kryze always hunted the avians before donning the clan’s signet. “Do you really want to argue with a person who defeated a dragon in single combat?” He walked closer to the minister. He took pleasure in seeing him and his toad take a step back.

“No… Of course not! The Dragon is yours! Yes! As the minister of magic, I formally grant you that dragon as a recompensation for any trouble you encountered with the Tri-Wizard tournament now and in the future!” Fudge looked so proud of himself that Harran didn’t really want to break it to the man. He had better things to bother with. When he looked at Ragnuk, the goblin nodded and ordered his warriors to move the dragon away. It would be served at the feast in the evening. 

Pleased with himself, Harran returned to the other contestants, who were looking at him with a mixture of awe, fear, and dislike. He didn’t care either way. So far the only wizards he held any respect for were Neville and Madame Pomfrey. 

The scores were unimpressive. He received full marks from Bagman, who looked slightly terrified of him, but at the same time excited. Crouch gave him only six, since killing the dragon wasn’t the task. Dumbledore gave him fice, criticizing the needless death of the dragon. Harran suspected he was at least somewhat bitter about the destruction of his office. Madame Maxime granted him only four. She decided that he was ‘brutal and inelegant’. Karkaroff decided to give him a total of two. Harran didn’t even bother with the scores. He didn’t care about the scores. From what he learned, they would just give him an upper hand in the final task. 

\-----------

On the evening after the challenge, Harran and the Goblins celebrated a triumph. They were sure everyone noticed that Harran used no magic and did what was considered impossible for Wizards: single-handedly defeated a kriffing Dragon!

There was food, ale, something with little alcohol for Harran and younger goblins, and the guest of honor: cooked Dragon meat. 

Harran had a chance to tell stories about the galaxy and Mandalore. Goblins were curious about the birthplace of their traditions and way of life. In turn, Harry heard legends and stories of famous goblins. 

On the next day, he woke up after noon. Dozens of owls awaited him with letters. Four were from Dumbledore trying to speak to him. He made a point to burn the letters in front of the owls and attach the charred remains to be returned to the sender. He categorically refused to go anywhere near the old man. 

The next one was from McGonagall, who instructed him about the winter ball and that e had to have a date for the dance. His presence was mandatory. 

At least twenty letters were from girls that were desperate to go with him. He burned those too. Next were the offers to buy the dragon from him. He actually bothered to write polite declines to them. There was no reason to be rude here.

The final one was from Neville. He was asking him to meet him and his grandmother on Saturday afternoon in Three Broomsticks.

Harran was definitely pleased with the last one. He wasn’t sure where the idea to train Neville in the Mandalorian ways came from, but he could feel greatness in his future. And clearly, the teen was interested. 

Between then and the meeting, Harran discussed several matters with Ragnuk. He paid for having a one-man expedition to the north pole prepared. Ragnuk also approved of his idea to train Neville, should he prove dedicated. He was even ready to prepare a new _Beskar’gam_ for the wizard if he shows true dedication. Harran had the schematics in his vambraces and goblins had the materials (including Beskar, or Goblin Silver as some referred to it).

\--------

Harran waited in front of Three Broomsticks to meet Madame Longbottom and Neville. He was surprised when in addition to the two, a girl with bushy hair came. 

“I was led to believe that the meeting was between the three of us.” He looked at Neville with a questioning look. He had his armor on but kept the helmet in his hand. 

“Hermione wanted to come too. She was curious.”

Harran looked at the girl up and down, analyzing her. She had a certain… stiffness to her. The way she stood there, how she looked at him, the expression on her face. She expected him to let her come either way. She wouldn’t take no for an answer. Harran wasn’t sure if that defiant streak was a sign of independence or a feeling of superiority. 

“She may come with us if you want.” Harran smiled at Neville.

“Great.” Augusta took the lead. “Let’s go. I’ve rented a private room.”

“Actually, we’ll go to my place. There we’ll be able to talk freely.” The young Mando countered. “Follow me.” He ordered and started walking toward where the Shrieking Shack was supposed to be. They walked after him, but for them, he was leading them toward the forest, where there was nothing. 

“Could I please get a privacy spell?” He asked Madame Longbottom, who obliged. “Now memorize what I tell you: The Shrieking Shack and surrounding grounds are at the end of Hogsmeadge main road.” 

The look on their faces told him that they were working hard to remember the sentence. Then, one by one, they all seemed amazed when his renovated home appeared. It was no longer an old, ruined building. The goblins replaced most walls with studier material, mostly volcanic rocks of high density. The rooftop was now a dome, giving it a unique appearance when standing among Wizarding architecture. Some parts of the house remained, but the goblin in charge of construction said that it was a miracle the house was still standing, especially with the traces of some serious battle inside. 

“Welcome to my retreat.”

“You’ve been in Hogsmeade this whole time!?” Hemione screamed at him.

“Where else was I supposed to be?” He asked confused by her outrage.

“The papers said you ran away to live with the goblins, among other stories.”

“I do spend time with my fellow _Mando’ade_ , but I don’t live with them.”

“Can we get on with it? I assume it was Fidelius charm?” 

“Yes. I value my privacy, especially from pesky wizards. Now come on in!” He cheerfully led them inside, toward the main room. They each took a seat on one of the chairs in the center, which he prepared beforehand. His chair was a bit more decorated now. He had his signet engraved on each armrest. A Clan Kryze signet, which he without a doubt earned. 

“Now. Can we…” Augusta was about to start when Hermione interrupted her. 

“Are you really from space?”

Harran smiled. “Yes. But I’m a human.”

“But how are humans in space? I mean it would be possible for some wizards to leave, perhaps with a portkey mishap, but it wouldn’t let them form a stable bloodline without at least some foreign blood. How much of you is alien?” She asked, saying all of it in one breath.

“As far as I know, less than one percent. I know there was at least one Chiss in clan Kryze, many generations ago. Otherwise, I’m pure human. Also, your question was a bit rude.” He scolded her. So far, she was proving quite… refreshing. She was actually asking questions instead of assuming things.

“Sorry. But how are you human. Are your ancestors from earth?”

“No. Humans are quite wide-spread in the galaxy. While I was born on earth, as far as I can tell none of my ancestors were from here.”

“But humans evolved on earth! There are scientific proofs that we come from several human-like simians.” She argued.

“Not exactly true. I would risk a guess, that those simians were the true earthlings. Long ago, humans must’ve settled on this world and slowly pushed them away into extinction. It happened several times throughout galactic history.”

“Really? When?” She leaned closer.

“Um… I’m not sure. I didn’t exactly study history beyond the curriculum.” He revealed sheepishly. 

“Oh…” Hermione was clearly disappointed with the answer.

“Can we go back to the subject at hand?” Augusta asked, getting impatient. 

“Sure. So, Neville, made your decision?”

“Well… I think…”

“You will teach him how to fight, nothing else.” The old woman interrupted. 

“Is that what you want, Neville? To only learn how to fight?” Harran inquired. He didn’t need force to sense that it wasn’t the truth. 

“I…”

“He made his mind. Don’t try to _convert_ him now.” Augusta interrupted again. 

Harran almost jumped and scolded the woman for interrupting her grandson, but his instincts told him not to. And he learned to listen to his instincts. “Okay. I’ll teach you the basics of self-defense.”

“No.” Neville suddenly stood straight. He turned to his grandmother. “I want to learn about his culture. I want to be a Mandalorian. I’m a lousy wizard. Barely more than a squib. Even when I grow up, I’ll probably achieve little. There is no chance I’ll become an auror. But Mandalorians don’t need magic. They do things with the work of their hands. I read about Goblins… They are Mandalorians, right?” He turned to Harran, who nodded. “To be honest, Goblins are ten times better than wizards from where I stand.” He turned to the other boy in the room. “I know I sound rash, but I’m tired of the wizarding world. I spent my life being always shunned as a squib. I want… I want more.” 

Hermione was about to say something. There was the expression of righteous fury on her face. Harran could only guess she was going to scold Neville. But Augusta beat her to it and silenced her with a flick of her wand. The old woman also rose to her feet and faced her grandson. Neville almost backed away, but he met her eyes with conviction. 

What happened next came as a complete surprise to the boy. She smiled and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. 

“Finally! I knew you had the fire in you!” She almost sobbed. Almost. “I waited for you to stand up for yourself since I could remember. Now there is the boy I knew hid under everything else. That’s the spirit.” 

Harran rested in his seat, taking in what he saw. The woman tested Neville today. She wanted to see if he was willing to stand up for himself, stand against her. She wanted proof he was truly committed to his decision. Harran could respect that. 

“Great!” He cheered. “We’ll begin our training tomorrow. Today, there is one more thing for you. All Mandalorians follow a creed. _Resol’nare_ or Six Actions. The core of what it means to be Mandalorian. A sacred law giving us direction and purpose.” He looked Neville right in the eyes.

“ _Ba'jur bal beskar'gam,_

_Ara'nov, aliit,_

_Mando'a bal Mand'alor—_

_An vencuyan mhi”_ He recited in Mando’a. 

“What does it mean?” Hermione asked, finally free of the silencing spell. 

“It’s a rhyme that makes it easier to remember. A Mandalorian must educate their children as Mandalorians, wear the armor, defend his tribe, speak the language, and follow Mand’alor’s commands.” Harran explained very seriously. He always valued tradition. His mother ended many traditions, but she made sure to teach him those that were important. 

“That… that’s incredible! I wonder how that discovery will affect human-goblin relations. If it’s true for all goblins as well, it would explain why…”

“You will _not_ treat it as a science project.” Harran snapped at her. “ _Resol’nare_ is more than just some _discovery_ for you to play with. It’s the way of life for millions of people around the galaxy.”

“But… But it could…”

“No. I will not be teaching you anything if that’s your approach.”

“Well then, we’re leaving. Thanks for inviting us. Come on Neville!” She huffed and stood up, but to her surprise, the boy stayed. “Neville?”

“Hermione… I told my gran. I want this. It feels like I’m finally getting a chance to be great at something…”

“But… But…” She stood there, stunned. 

“I’m not abandoning you, but don’t make me choose because of a single argument.” He asked. 

“Fine.” She scowled. “But you better…”

“He will not tell you anything private about the Mandalorian culture.” Harran interrupted her before she could make a demand. There were some parts he didn’t want wizards to know. Especially not wizards like her. 

“Ugh!” She stormed out of the house. 

“Sorry about her. Hermione gets pretty intense when she’s curious.”

“Yeah. I saw.” Harry deadpanned. “Now let me show you one more thing.” He got up and led them to the stairs leading to the downstairs room. It was filled with technology. Some of it was only half-finished. There were at least seven different earth computers he tried to salvage for parts, but it was all so far behind the curve that he didn’t even bother.

“Impressive. I didn’t know muggle technology could work near magic.” Augusta looked impressed by his workshop. 

“Earth technology? I doubt it’s good for anything other than as a furnace. I could make something better out of a half-fried blaster and a bunch of bolts. But most of the galactic technology is pretty sturdy. So far I have no problems in the field of Force surrounding everything around us.” He smiled. “But I wanted to show you… this.” He pressed a hidden button on the wall and a section moved, revealing a tunnel. “It leads straight to Hogwarts grounds. Originally it led to a tree called Whompy Willow, but now it has a hatch that opens near my old camp.” He kept the tent standing there and walked out of it when he had to visit Hogwarts. It was almost never, but he did appear on the grounds from time to time, walked around, and disappeared in his tent or in the air. 

Augusta and Neville looked around. They were both curious about the various aperture around them. Neville was particularly curious about a large machine in the corner that seemed to be constantly fed coal. 

“What’s that one for?”

“Oh! It’s the Exonium refinery. Earth has tons of exonium but doesn’t use it for fuel in any efficient capacity. I managed to build some _very_ basic refinery with the guide I found in the survival kit. I’ll have enough fuel to start a hyperdrive if I get myself a ship.”

“You know where to find one?”

“I suspect… Come. We should celebrate. You can visit me whenever you want through that tunnel. The doors can be opened from the other side. And no one will follow you because of Fidelius.” 

“Well, at least I know Neville will be in good hands.” Augusta smiled. “Neville, I give you my blessing to join Harran. You can even leave with him after the tournament.” She added with a heavy heart. “I believe it’s time for you to forge your own path. Will you forgive me for trying to put you in your father’s shoes when they don’t fit?” She asked. Harran sensed she was referencing some earlier argument that he had no right to pry about for now. 

Neville just hugged his gran. 

\---------

From the next day onward, Harry dragged Neville out of the bed at six in the morning to run circles around the lake with him until he had to got for classes. At first, the pudgy boy was horrified and barely able to drag himself anywhere. Instead of breakfast, he got a ration bar from Harran. It tasted like cardboard but had more than enough nutrition value to replace a five-course breakfast. 

When Neville left, Harran either took to practicing with his Holocron on the field behind his house or working on tech in his workshop. He progressed to the first uses of force in conjunction with lightsaber moves. The glowing cube now displayed more than just text. When he placed it on the ground, it created a life-sized hologram of the Jedi in various stances or executing moves. Harran would step into the picture to get the correct stance or execute the move. Thanks to using a set of mirrors, he was able to see any discrepancies and correct his stance himself. To a point. Still, he was definitely making progress. 

In the afternoons, Neville was tutored in the Mando’a, blaster firing, martial arts, and galactic technology. They spent most of the time in Harran’s tent (or that’s what people thought), or around Hogwarts grounds. As Harry was a tri-wizard champion, he had free access to Hogwarts until the tournament ended and he intended to use it. 

The only downside to appearing among students was that there were entire crowds of fangirls that tried to ask him out to the ball. They chased him like prey. Literally chased, because he was always running around with Neville, who had additional motivation to actually work harder, lest he would get trampled by a crowd of fangirls. 

One would’ve thought that they would give up after the first three tries to catch him failed. He had a Jet-pack for crying out loud. But no, they didn’t give up. A certain red-head even brought a broom! She was luckily no match for him, but the aerial show attracted even more fangirls. It was beginning to grate on his nerves. 

They luckily left him alone during combat training. 

After one of such sessions with Neville, a little over a week since they began, a blonde girl their age from Slytherin approached them. 

“Kryze. Can we talk?” She demanded in a rather cold fashion. She seemed pretty struck up, but her stance suggested it wasn’t overconfidence. Harran could see that she had some actual martial arts training. And she used his real name, so it was already a progress from most fangirls. 

“What do you want?” He asked, breaking from combat with Neville, who in turn collapsed breathless on the grass.

“I see you have troubles with the… rabble.” 

“And let me guess… you wish to relieve me from them in exchange for taking you to the ball?” He raised an eyebrow.

“And here I thought you were just a dumb Gryffindor…”

“Hey!” Neville protested from the grass. So far, Harry shared the boy’s sentiment.

“The answer is no. I’m not even going.” He informed her.

“Really now? You aren’t? I thought your kind was keen on traditions.” She smiled cockily and Harran almost cursed. She was trapping him in his own words. 

“What exactly do you want to achieve?”

“Simple. I get to go with you and in exchange, I’ll keep the fangirls away. They won’t dare to cross me.”

“And why exactly do you want to go with me?” Harry asked, letting the curiosity get the better of him. “You don’t strike me as someone who believes in… ‘magical love’.” He referred to the term he heard some girls talk about when they mentioned their dreams of spending the evening with them. 

“You do realize it’s an euphemism for love potions, right?” She asked. “As in the semi-illegal drugs that make one utterly devoted to whoever the potion is keyed to, or in weaker version to the first person they see.” 

“Kriffing _Hut’tuune_ ” Harran cursed. “As if I didn’t have enough problems on my head.” 

“Um… they don’t plan any for… me?” Neville asked, worry clear in his voice.

“And here I thought it was just a notion of love at first sight or something!” 

“So, interested in my deal?” The blonde girl asked. 

“Hm…” Harran thought for a moment. “I will agree under one condition. You beat me in hand-to-hand combat.” He declared. 

“Fine.” She agreed without a second thought. “When and where?”

“Here and now can do.” He looked at her, daring her to refuse. 

Instead, she just dropped her heavy robes on the ground, leaving her in a simple tracksuit that clung to her body. 

“Good thing I came prepared. By the way, my name’s Daphne Greengrass.” She added and took a combat stance.

To make things fair, Harry took off his armor before getting ready. As the two faced each other, he tried to analyze her movement before the fight began. She was light on her feet and ready to move. She clearly focused more on well-aimed strikes and agility over strong hits. 

When she took the first step, his pupils dilated.

_Straight punch_

_Leg grapple_

_Kick_

_Vault over_

_Palm strike_

He watched whole sequences of moves that all looked somewhat odd to him. He didn’t have time to ponder on it though, because his pupils then focused and he leaped into action. He quickly intercepted her punch and delivered a weak strike to her guts. The aim was not to cause pain but spar. She managed to flip in his grip and wrap her legs around his neck, using the shift in balance to try and trip him. Harran let go of her hand and instead focused on falling securely. 

Daphne used this for her advantage and tried to kick him in the head, but he managed to jump back on his feet and swipe under her. She was now the one on the ground. He took a step back and looked smugly at her. 

“Not feeling so confident now?”

His opponent only grunted as the answer before in one move leaping on her legs and jumping up high. She used his shoulders as support to vault over him. She turned around and delivered a palm strike to his scruff that he avoided by ducking. He delivered a back-kick that sent her stumbling a few steps back. 

The two continued fighting for a bit. Most of her moves were based on avoiding, tripping, or wearing him down. She was playing an exhaustion game here, but it was clear that Harran was winning it. 

One thing stood out for him though. The way she was fighting was chaotic. She didn’t have a style that she stayed fateful to, but rather seemed to… dance. Once he made that connection, Harran searched for a pattern in her steps. He noticed how she didn’t favor any legs or arms, how she maintained a certain lightness. Normally, it was to be expected of a warrior, but her movement was wrong. When she moved, there was too much weight put on the toes and not enough on the soles.

“We can end the dance now if you want.” he offered. He got what he wanted. 

“Really? Are you giving up?” She smirked. 

“No. I just thought you are a warrior, not a dancer.” He glared at her. 

“Wha-!? How did you…?” She looked at him surprised.

“My aunt. She taught me how to read people.” He remembered many training sessions were focused on recognizing fighting styles and what each opponent focuses on. She was the one that helped him hone his unique talent, even if she didn’t know about it. “And mom’s a Mandalore. She effectively rules over a hundred systems. I like to think my instincts are as sharp as they can get.” What he didn’t mention was that he used force to aid his instincts. 

“Yes, I never got combat training, but I’ve been learning how to dance for six years now. I just adopted it for more… practical uses.” She finished. 

Harry could sense that there was something she was hiding. And he wanted to get to the bottom of this. She didn’t want to go to the ball with him. It was only an excuse to get closer to him.

“I can respect that.” He nodded. “Neville, would you leave the two of us alone for a bit?”

“Sure. See ya’ ‘morrow.” The boy got up and wobbled toward the castle. His muscles felt like he was trampled by a bull. Or Crabbe and Goyle. Who knows which is worse. 

Harry led Daphne to his tent. There, he prepared two slices of a dense cake with nuts and dried fruits and poured her a glass of hot drink he kept in a thermos.

“Um… what’s that?” She asked, looking at the cake. After hesitantly taking a bite a smile appeared on her face. It was very sweet and a bit spicy. She almost melted into her chair.

“ _Uj'alayi_. It’s a type of Mandalorian delicacy.” Harran explained. “I made it with the earth ingredients. It came out alright, but nothing can replace Nikkle Nuts.”

“You _made_ it?!” Daphne stared at him with wide eyes.

“Yes. Now, what do you really want.” She was about to say something, but Harry interrupted her. “And don’t try to sell me the story of the Yule Ball being your only goal. I want the truth.”

For a moment, they just looked at one another. 

Finally, Daphne relented. “Fine. I want what Longbottom’s getting.”

“And that is…” Harran motioned for her to elaborate. 

“Training, escape, I don’t know!” She shouted in frustration. “Granger’s been going around with her panties in a twist about you _stealing_ her best friend into some… star adventure.” 

“And you want that? Leave earth and everything on it? Neville is fully accepting that he most likely won’t return here for years. Such step might be a one-way flight.” He warned her. 

“Perfect. Where do I sign?” She jumped at his words as if he already accepted her. 

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Harry looked at her bewildered. “I agreed to nothin’. Neville got his grandmother’s permission. He already swore to obey the Six actions-” He used the basic translation on purpose, to make it more understandable to her, “-and chose to dedicate his life to the warrior’s path. I can’t just… kidnap you!” 

“But… there must be something! You’re my last hope!” She shouted. 

“Calm down, would ya’?” Harry looked at her up and down. “Mother or father?”

“What?”

“Which one. Mother or father?” He repeated the question without clarifying.

“Both… in some ways. Father would never touch me. He prefers to exert economic and political pressure. Mother on the other hand is pretty… liberal in her choice of punishments.”

Harran resisted the urge to grab his lightsaber. He needed to know the full story before he went in lightsaber blazing, but he could see that she was being honest. And the force was practically mourning around her. “Why?”

“Because I refuse to be broken. I refuse to be just a glorified trophy wife or means to achieve a political goal. I want to actually do something with my life!” She raged. “‘Story might be happy with just sitting all days at some old manor and looking nice in front of guests, but I want to actually live!”

“ _Shereshoy_ ,” Harry commented pensively. 

“What?” She looked at him confused, but the anger remained in her whole posture. She was tense and almost ready for flight or fight at any moment.

“It’s a… philosophy. It means to lust for life to its fullest, to grab each emotion, each experience, each day. To hang onto life and relish it. It’s a large part of what it means to be a Mandalorian. What exactly is your problem?” He relented. He was pretty sure adopting everything that came across your way wasn’t part of the way, and yet he practically already had two strays that followed him around.

“They want to make a business alliance with Malfoys. And Draco convinced his father that I’m to be a part of that deal.”

“As in slavery?” Harran scowled.

“As in marriage. The sleazy ferret decided that since I’m the prettiest girl in his year, I should be his.” She seethed each word. “Now my parents are putting pressure on me to follow his every demand, or otherwise they will cut me off from any money. And no one will dare to cross them and Malfoy together. I would effectively become an outcast as far as they would reach. Plus it’s not like there is too many places I could run to. I have no idea how to survive in the muggle world.”

“And you’re sure of it?” He asked, taking on an impassionate face and voice. “Are you sure you’re ready to abandon pretty much everything? From what you said, if you make this step you won’t be able to return.”

“I don’t have anything to return to anyway.” 

“Ba'jur bal beskar'gam,

Ara'nov, aliit,

Mando'a bal Mand'alor—

An vencuyan mhi” He recited in Mando’a and Daphne repeated. It took her two tries to manage it properly.

“Then welcome abroad, friend. _Haat, ijaa, haa'it_.” Harry smiled and extended his hand. After she shook it, he grinned. “Training starts at six and lasts until you have to go for classes. In the afternoon I’m teaching language and culture. Make sure to have your homework done or the teacher might try to go after my head.” 

“You… you are joking with the training at six, right?” She begged. “Right?”

“Nope!” He grinned and was about to leave the tent when she stopped him. 

“You know how to dance, right?” She had an equal grin. 

It was Harran’s turn to gulp. 

\-------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the Instant Dad Mode most mandalorian possess evolved from Instant Brother Mode. Fight me.


	5. The Dance of the Mando

Heir of Mandalore - C05/The Dance of The Mando

\------------

Ignoring her initial protest over early hour training, Daphne eagerly joined in all exercises that Harry prepared for her and Neville. They ran, fought, studied, practiced, even sometimes cooked together. 

Three days after Daphne, her best friend Tracy came to Harry and demanded to join. At first, he rebutted her harshly, angry with her approach. She tried three more times before he started to take her seriously. She turned out to be an orphan with no plans for life. She was ready to follow Daphne to the end of the galaxy and some more though, and Harry accepted her. He promised himself that this would be the last and made sure to write it on sticky notes and put it everywhere. Including his helmet. 

Then again, all three were devoted students that showed true passion for studying Mandalorian culture and customs. 

Harran had a passion for cooking and baking and took great pleasure in teaching them how to prepare Mandalorian cuisine. Daphne managed to burn the cake before she even put it in the oven and Neville caused a pot to explode. They were both hopeless in preparing food, but still took great pleasure in eating everything he made for them. Tracey earned several points with their teacher/friend when she almost managed to match his cooking skill. The two had several competitions over who is the better cook. So far, Harran led 4-2. Neither Neville nor Daphne complained. They got tons of good food out of it.

Harry learned the dance moves that Daphne taught him, but he knew very well that she was also using it as an opportunity to get revenge on him for the early training sessions. Neville had a laugh until Tracy decided that he was going with her since they both didn’t have any dates. Harry had great fun when she one day pulled him onto the dance floor and started to drag him along to the music. 

About a week before the ball, Harran dragged his friends to his workshop for a bit of engineering work. He had each of them help him modify some processors or other tech parts. None knew what it was about. 

They learned the day before the ball when they were all presented with silver armors, otherwise similar to what Harran wore. Two goblins carried the  _ Beskar’game _ for them to try on. There was almost no fitting needed. The tech Harry had them working on was for their helmets and vambraces. He found some spare parts for the armor in the storage locker from the ship, which he then fit into the schematics stored in the armor’s internal memory. Goblins prepared everything. 

Daphne chose to paint her armor white and gold, with some powder blue finishes. She matched it with a powder blue cape she received from one of the Beubatoux girls. Her helmet had a slightly modified visor that Harran shaped after his aunt’s Nite Owl look. 

Neville decided to make his in black and blue. Harry had goblins use modular chest mid-riff parts and upper armguards for him that served as additional protection for his weak spots. So far, Neville was the worst at their dodging exercises, so having a bit of extra protection could go a long way. 

Finally, Tracey chose to keep her armor silver for now. Her helmet was similarly modeled after Nite Owls armor. She asked for additional chainmail under-cape be made for her to wear, so she could protect her upper limbs better. She also begged the goblins for a beskad, which she received. 

All three had a hidden compartment in their vambraces to hide their wands until they were needed. 

Goblins used some of their magic on the beskar designs to make them a bit less responsive to magic. Now their armors could even protect from many stronger curses. Harran also had part of the dragon skin fashioned into gloves, boots, and a kama. Of course, Tracey commented on his  _ combat skirt _ , but he took it as a symbol of pride. The gloves were covered in beskar and had a Vibro-blade extending from the armored plate on the back of his hand. It was always good to have an additional arsenal. 

\----------

On the day of the ball, all four of them were nowhere to be seen in the castle until evening. The fact that Harran and Neville were bringing Daphne and Tracy respectively were running amok around the Hogwarts rumor mill. There were some crazy theories about whether the girls managed to slip them a love potion or the other way around. 

While Harran was regarded as a squib, he was still the most desirable teen in Hogwarts. His fortune, skills, and fame made up for the lack of magical talent. And while usually people didn’t mention it, squibs had a high chance of still siring a magical. And Harran singlehandedly killed a freaking Dragon in front of everyone. That alone would make anyone want to be on his good side.

As such, it came as a complete surprise when the quartet arrived at the ball in full Mandalorian armors, together with their helmets. 

“Mr. Potter!” McGonagall shouted. “What are you wearing? That’s not a proper dress robe.” 

“ _ He does wear a combat skirt _ ,” Tracey muttered, making the four of them laugh. 

“I’m not sure I follow, Madame. I applied a fresh layer of paint specifically for the event. The cape is made of the finest enchanted silk available. And it’s Kryze, not Potter. While I’m grateful for my adopted parents for taking me in, I prefer to be referred by my true name.” He argued in his most political voice. Usually, it was reserved only for when Senator Orn Free Taa visited his mother. 

“And they?”

“My friends decided to follow my example.” He didn’t specify whether he meant armor or the way of life. “Their armors are equally well-kept as mine. And Daphne’s cloak was made by the same designer as mine.” Under his helmet, he grinned. 

“I see…” McGonagall’s mouth formed a very thin line. “Fine then. Two of you go to the other champions while Mr. Longbottom and Miss Davis can join the students.” It was clear that she was dissatisfied with the outcome. 

Daphne and Harran walked to where Fleur, Viktor, and Cedric waited with their dates. Harry was surprised to see Hermione next to Krum but refused to give her any attention. She was still angry that he refused to teach her. Fleur brought some boy that kept staring at her and drooling, while Cedric chose to take a girl. Harran faintly remembered her. She was one of the few that didn’t join his fanclub. Cho… something. 

“Is that real goblin silver?” The Hogwarts champion asked after a moment of silence.

“ _ Runi’beskar _ , but yes. I guess in basic you call it goblin silver.” Harran informed. Ragnuk didn’t reveal the magic involved. It was a secret of his clan and Kryze respected that. 

“ _ Incroyable! _ ” Fleur exclaimed. “I ‘ave ‘eard stories about ze material. Eez eet true, zat eet can withstand anything?”

“It protected me from dragon fire, so I say it’s pretty sturdy.” Harry chuckled. “But enough about that. Did you hear about the thing? I caught several strange rumors that something special was being prepared for today.”

“Da! The Headmaster told me that there vas something being prepared.” Victor nodded. “But he refused to give me more.” 

“I would guess it’s just some show.” Cho dismissed them. “Maybe they put the Twins to some use finally.” 

“That would be a new one. Imagine twins working  _ with _ the staff.” Hermione snorted. 

Harran ignored them and activated a scanner in his helmet. He was curious if the tech would work in the castle. To his disappointment, it was useless. The numbers he was getting were impossible. Gravity eighty times the standard value?

Finally, the doors opened and eight of them were led into the great hall. Harran hardly recognized the place from when he first arrived. Well, by the time he had time to look he might’ve contributed to some of the damage, but all was fixed now at least. 

The meal was dull so to speak. Harran and Daphne mostly just talked with one another. He used the opportunity to tutor her further in Mando’a, much to Hermione’s irritation. 

Then, Dumbledore removed most of the tables and created free space for the dance.

“May I?” Harran asked Daphne politely. She nodded and allowed him to lead her to the floor. 

He allowed his partner to take the lead. Instead, he focused on the surrounding. He saw Neville and Tracey cheering for them. There was also a redhead, surrounded by two other boys and their dates. They seemed bored out of their minds. On the other side, there was a blond guy with hair glistering with gel. He was accompanied by what looked like a hybrid of a human and a bothan, only marginally prettier. Behind them, there were two half-gammoreans who would probably lose a verbal spat with a bantha.

He made a mental note to avoid the ferret. It was definitely Malfoy. 

Out of the teacher, a greasy-haired man looked like he was dragged here by an angry loth-cat, who was very verbal in their displeasure. Others looked at them curiously but seemed to not pay as much attention. They were more focused on keeping an eye on the general student population. 

After the initial dance, other couples entered the floor and the music became more lively. Harran took the opportunity to move closer to the shadows. He wanted to avoid as many people as possible. He tried to find someone with whom he could have a civilized conversation, making sure to stay as far away from Dumbledore as possible.

Of course, the moment he lost sight of him and turned around, the headmaster seemed to materialize in front of him. Or he actually magicked himself across the room. Who knows?

“Harry, my boy!” Headmaster greeted him. 

“Nope. I really don’t care.”

“Now… you didn’t even hear what I wanted to say.”

“I don’t care. Now leave me alone you old  _ osi'yaim _ .” Harran scowled and put on his helmet. He turned around and walked into the crowd. He spotted Daphne’s hair and made his way there. 

It was both the best and worst thing he could’ve done. It was great, because he quite likely saved Malfoy from being gutted by Daphne, but it was also terrible because he quite likely saved Malfoy from being gutted. 

“...I don’t care who you think your daddy is, but I’m not some cheap  _ Shebs _ from the Knockturn Alley!” She glared at the blond ferret and was about to lunge at him with the wrist-blade from her vambraces.

“You will be mine one way or…” Malfoy didn’t finish. Just because Harran managed to stop Daphne’s right hand where the blade was extended didn’t mean he was fast enough to also keep her punch. And she apparently had a mean left hook.

The rustle was enough to attract everyone’s attention. Several wands were immediately aimed at the pair. It appeared that the redhead and his friends were just looking for a chance to get some fight because they pushed their ways to the front to aim their wands at no one in particular. Harran could disarm them all in his sleep. 

Malfoy leaped onto his feet and whipped his wand. A spell flew right at Daphne, only to be stopped by Neville, who stepped in the line of fire. The boy didn’t have his wand, but his armor was strong enough.

A melodic sound echoed across the great hall as the goblin silver rebounded the spell. 

People around them took several steps back. 

The standoff was now between four fully armored Mandalorians and a bunch of school-kids with magic wands. One does not want to be caught in the crossfire. Harran was aiming one of his blasters at Malfoy’s forehead and his lightsaber was ignited and ready. Daphne and Tracey each held their wands prepared while Neville was standing there, ready to get physical. Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, Bulstrode, Nott, Zabini, and Malfoy had their wands aimed at the four. They might’ve had a numbers advantage, but it wouldn’t mean much in this situation. 

“Cease this instant!” McGonagall finally pushed through the crowd with other teachers. 

“Tell them to lower their wands,” Harran growled, not taking his eyes off Malfoy.

“That blood traitor! She attacked me!” Malfoy pointed his wand at Daphne, but Neville stepped in the line of fire again, just in case. 

“When you tried to grab her.” Harran spat. “You’re lucky I stopped the blade.”

“She had no right!”

“I had every right you low-born bastard!” Daphne shouted, causing several of the purebloods to flinch. It was perhaps one of the worse insults for any of them.

Harran’s pupils widened. He saw spells flying at him. More spells. And more spells. He didn’t know which did what, but he would know the trajectory. It was enough. His pupils focused and he leaped into action.

Draco roared in anger and started firing random spells. His allies followed suit. Harran took out three of their wands with well-aimed blaster shots that left them empty-handed. He set the weapon to the lightest setting. 

Teachers quickly petrified the Slytherins, but not fast enough.

“Enough of the show. You bunch will go with us. The rest of you lot can return to the party.” McGonagall ordered. She and Flitwick levitated the paralyzed Slytherins. Mandalorians followed proudly. Their helmets hid satisfied smirks. 

In the empty classroom nearby, Flitwick canceled the spells on the Slytherins, who (to their credit) stayed put. 

“Now. Explain what was this about?” McGonagall glared at everyone. Harry and his friends took off their helmets and took empty seats.

“Malfoy approached me while I was enjoying a drink in between dances and demanded that I dance with him. He used the argument that I  _ belong _ to him.” Daphne seethed and glared at the blond ferret.

“Your parents already made an agreement!” Draco shouted.

“And I made my decision. I would sooner go muggle than have anything to do with you.”

“While I legally cannot interfere in your families’ business,” The deputy headmistress began, “You mustn’t resort to violence and spellfire. While it pains me, fifty points from each of you. And as for you, Mr. Potter...”

“I want him kicked! Wait till my father hears of it!” Draco whined. 

“We can’t kick him. He is a guest and a tri-wizard tournament champion.” Flitwick protested.

“He’s a danger! He shouldn’t even be here! He’s just a filthy squib!”

“I’m actually wanted,” Harran smirked. “But I’ll be leaving in a week. It’s possible I’ll return only for the second task. If that’s all, have a nice evening. I don’t think I’ll be returning to the ball.” With that, he stood up and left. His friends also got up and nodded to their teachers, leaving them with a bunch of seething Slytherins. The professors were too stunned to stop them in time. 

The four spent the rest of the near Harran’s tent, sitting around a campfire. They could talk, tell stories, and eat food prepared by Harry and Tracey as yet another competition. 

At midnight, fireworks exploded over the castle, forming impossible shapes. 

\--------

In the morning, all four were awakened by a terrible screech coming from the castle. Several adults were storming toward them. It appeared they fell asleep where they sat.

“I’ll strangle that stupid twat!” A woman in fine black robes marched through the greens ahead of the group. In the distance, Harran noted that Malfoy and his cronies were also coming, each with a satisfied expression on their face. 

The four Mandalorians got to their feet not long before the first adults arrived. 

“Mother…” Daphne curtsied before the woman.

“Do you have any idea how much trouble your stunt has caused!?” Mrs. Greengrass screamed, ignoring the greeting. “And what are you wearing? That’s not a proper outfit for a witch of your standing!”

“It’s my armor. It might’ve saved my life yesterday.” The blonde definitely looked at her mother.

“If you’d just kept your head low and did as you were told, nothing would’ve happened! There will be no need for such things in your future.” She declared. 

By now, McGonagall, who was next fastest, finally arrived. “Mrs. Greengrass. You can’t just…”

“Headmistress! I’ll be removing my daughter from this school. Effective immediately. Have her possession sent to…”

“No.” Daphne seethed, surprising all adults.

“What!?” Her mother whirled around. 

“You heard me. I’m not going anywhere with you.” The girl glared at her mother defiantly. 

“I’m afraid that it’s out of your sphere of influence, young woman.” A man that could only be her father spat. Harran actually had an urge to punch him. The way he held himself screamed vile and corrupt without any backbone. “We’ve already put forward the required paperwork. Lucius was kind enough to still follow our previous agreement. His wife will be giving you private lessons from now on.”

“If you think I’ll go anywhere near any of those sleazy, two-knut, pompous arses, you’re worse parents than I thought!” Daphne was getting emotional. 

“I had enough of that. We’ll be going. And you will sell that armor. It will at least return some of the money we lost on your education!” Her mother ordered, but Daphne didn’t let her get close. 

“You will not sell my armor! It was a gift and it is mine, not yours!”

Harry could sense waves of anger coming off from her in the force. He placed a hand on Daphne’s shoulder and tried to push some calmness into her. He wasn’t good with that skill, but he figured it was possible some time ago. It worked, if only for a moment. As soon as her parents saw that gesture they launched into another rant that Harry filtered through. He didn’t exactly care what they said about him.

Instead, he took time to look at who else was present. There was the deputy headmistress, who was about as useless as he expected. The greasy-haired bat from the dungeon (an affectionate nickname for Snape that Harry learned from Neville) was overseeing the events with some glimmer of amusement. There were also a couple in even more expensive-looking robes. They were both blondes with long hair. The only reason he knew one of them was male was because the man didn’t have so much makeup. They were definitely ferret’s parents. There were also two aurors present, as well as some ministry paper-pushed in the official robes. In the back, there was a whole gaggle of Slytherins, with the ferret leading them. 

It lit up all the warning lights in Harran’s head. It was a set-up. 

Suddenly, his pupils widened. 

_ “Imperio” _

He didn’t know the spell, but it was not a warning for him. He was still touching Daphne’s shoulder. As soon as his pupils focused, he pushed her to the ground and took her place. 

His mind was clouded by the fog. He could see the commotion around him, but it was like he was only an observer. 

In slow motion, he saw Mr. Greengrass walk toward to grab Daphne. He lifted her and started to drag her away, toward the castle. Malfoys were already waiting. 

Harry’s mind was still clouded, but he heard the two of his friends behind him being dismissed and ordered back to the castle. 

Mid-way to the hill-top, Daphne managed to break her father’s hold. He whirled around and was about to slap her. 

Harran could see it happening. In slow motion, it was coming down on her. With her current stance, she had no chance to defend herself. 

He would not let anyone hurt his friends. 

The fog thickened for a moment before disappearing completely. 

He dashed forward. He reached into the force and drew it in him, pushing his muscles to their limits. The distance closed rapidly. Daphne had a wide-eyed look on her face. She was completely surprised. Her father never hit her before. 

The hand almost connected.

Harran grabbed Mr. Greengrass’s wrist and twisted it, making him howl in pain and fall on one knee to alleviate the hurt at least somewhat. He drew a wand with his other hand, but Daphne snatched it from him and stepped back.

“I will not allow you to hurt my friend.” Harry seethed. 

He was aware that the aurors had their wands aimed at him. 

“Filthy squib! I’ll have you thrown in Azkaban for it!” Daphne’s father raged. The aurors slowly walked toward them. 

“Sure, but can someone explain to me what the ‘imperio’ spell does?” Harran asked.

There was an uncomfortable silence. Finally, Daphne grinned slightly. “It’s one of the most unforgivable curses. It takes over complete control over one’s body. Breaking it is almost impossible and requires great willpower”

“Does it make your mind feel fogged, like you’re only an observed in your own body?” Harry asked. 

“Yes…” McGonagall looked almost horrified. 

“So from the look on your faces, I assume Goblin silver can’t block it?”

“Mr. Po… Kryze.” The deputy headmistress caught herself this time. “It is one of the three worst curses in our society. Using it on another person is considered the highest form of crime and equals an automatic sentence to Azkaban.”

“Hm… I wonder then, who the kriff used it on me!” He glared at the Greengrasses and Malfoys. 

“You can’t prove someone used it on you.” One of the aurors protested, but quickly realized his mistake when most of the adults switched their angry glares to him. 

“What a shame. I really wish to have a  _ word _ with them.” Harran said while checking if his hand-blade works well. 

“That does not…”

“No. And I don’t care what you wanted to say. I’ll not allow you to take Daphne against her will.” 

“You have nothing to say, boy.” Lucius Malfoy interjected. “Just because you have a crush on her…”

That was his mistake. The man couldn’t possibly understand Mandalorian’s mindset.

Harry looked at him and chuckled. “You misunderstand me. I have no romantic feelings for Daphne. She is my friend and companion. She is my  _ vod _ .”

“Brother?” Narcissa asked confused. She knew some Gobbledegook for business purposes. 

“Companion.” Harran corrected. “Comrade, sibbling, great friend.” He then turned to the other adults. “And I don’t take kindly to anyone threatening my friends and family.” His voice was cold. For a moment, he felt anger enter him. Dark thoughts swirled around him, giving him ideas. But then, his mental shields flared strong and repelled the darkness. Just for a swift moment, Harran thought someone tried to control him. But after closer inspection, he realized that these emotions came directly from the force. It was wild, uncontrolled darkness that tried to take seed inside him. 

He remembered that similar feelings assisted him when he fought Vizsla. In the past, when he sometimes got angry, or sad, or jealous, similar feeling reached to him. 

It was the dark side Jedi feared so much. Occlumency suddenly became much more important to master.

“I don’t know who you think you are, boy…”

“In fear for my health and safety, in care of my soul and magic,” Daphne began reciting, interrupting whatever her mother wanted to say, “I reject my parents. I reject my family. To shelter the flame of life and gift of magic, I choose to abandon the name given to me. I am my own and on my own I wander.” 

There was a small pulse of magic around Daphne as everyone stared at her in horror. The day after she joined Harran, they had a debate about what she could do. He was bewildered about how little there was that a child could do to prevent being abused. She explained that there was an option to reject one’s family that any kid was taught when they first came to Hogwarts. It always alerted the nearest aurors and was meant as a declaration that one would rather be an orphan than stay with their family. There was a downside though. The family had no requirement to provide anything for them. Whoever used it would need to be ready to survive on their own because no one was obliged to care for them from that point on. 

“Stupid girl! Do you realize what you’ve just done?” Her mother screamed at her.

“I chose freedom. I had nothing more to lose and I’ll not stand for it anymore.” Daphne defiantly looked her mother in the eyes. 

“Fine! But mark my words, child. No one in the wizarding world will aid you! Or your orphan of a friend!” Her father screamed in rage. “From this day onward, you cannot use the name Greengrass.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Harran was glaring at the man.  _ Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'vod _ , Daphne.” He spoke. To everyone’s surprise, there was a small pulse of force/magic around them.

“What was that?” The auror asked, confused. 

“ _ Gai bal Manda _ . Literally, it means Name and Soul, but in reality, it’s an adoption ceremony. I altered the words of the oath slightly. Daphne Kryze is now my sister in all that is important.” 

“I don’t care! Her wand will be snapped and she’s to be barred from the grounds. I want my son to be safe from her.” Lucius Malfoy demanded. “She’s already proved to be dangerous.”

Harry was about to protest, but Daphne pulled her wand and tossed it at Malfoy. It landed in front of his feet. She then grabbed Harran’s gun from the holster and fired several shots at it. After that only a burnt patch of grass and a bit of charred wood remained.

There was a total silence for a moment before McGonagall added dryly. “I don’t know about you, Severus, but I see a resemblance.”

With that, she marched back to the castle. 

Harry led Daphne back to his tent and through the hidden passage to the Shrieking shack. When they were there, he let her cry.

Then, he wrote to Ragnuk to alter his expedition plan to have an additional participant.


	6. Mando the Explorer

Heir of Mandalore - C06/Mando the Explorer

\--------

Three figures marched through the snowstorm. Over their customized Beskar Armor, each was wrapped with a thick cloak of fur. They used to also have a temperature regulation charm, but it broke several hours ago. Behind them, their tracks were gone as soon as they left them. 

Harry was certain they were getting close. The sensor in his helmet was showing something large and metallic a klick north. 

“Maybe we should just go back!?” Daphne shouted. “I’m not sure how long we can carry on!”

“I think I ate snow!” Tracey added. 

“You have a helmet!” Harry countered. 

“Then it’s just my spit freezing in my mouth!” 

“Let’s just get the portkeys and vanish back to camp! It’s a bust!” Daphne suggested. 

A week after Daphne Greengrass officially became Daphne Kryze the Wizarding Britain was still buzzing. Especially when Tracey Davis dropped out of Hogwarts and followed suit. Neville Longbottom loudly proclaimed his support and unity with the others. The girls now lived with Harry in the Shrieking Shack and both were officially members of Clan Kryze. 

Ministry was trying to eat its collective foot when attacking Daphne and Harry. Not a great idea considering she was in enough distress to disown herself. For a moment, there was even a bill to remove the law that allowed that and retroactively restore Daphne to her family. 

The magical community almost fed the minister and his cronies to the dragons when they heard. It was one of the important safeguards against child abuse, especially among muggle-borns and half-bloods. 

Harry and his now-sisters chose to do a responsible thing and disappear from Magical Britain. They packed their bags and traveled north. The goblins provided them with supplies they would need in their travel, such as expanded tents, warm cloaks, and emergency portkeys that would take them back to the location of anchor stones. When they set a camp, they always kept the stones there so their retreat was easier. 

Combing through the arctic was a thankless and tiring task. They had to wander after random scanner pings and hope to find what Harran was convinced was there. He didn’t share exactly  _ how _ he had that conviction, but he refused to give up. 

“Last time your scanners led us to some illegal mining platform!” Daphne shouted at him. “Let’s just go back! At least let the storm pass!”

“Just a bit longer!” He pushed forward. His scanner gave the last pulse before failing. 

“It’s pointless! The temperature is interfering…!” Tracey lost her voice when the ice under the three of them cracked and they fell down the hole. 

Harran activated his jet-pack and caught Daphne and Tracey, but their combined weight and three armors proven to be too much and they were now only descending slower. They were in a wide canyon formed by shifting icecaps. So far, there was no place where they could reliably land. The only way was down. The ground turned out to be about two levels below the top. The ground here seemed to be sturdy enough to hold them.

“Can we go now?” Daphne asked, shaking off the snow. There was at least no more need for shouting now that they were sheltered from the storm. 

“Not yet. I have a feeling…” Harran began, but Tracey interrupted.

“Does your feeling have anything to do with  _ that! _ ” The girl pointed her hand at a giant metallic shape. It seemed to be only partially frozen in ice, with the front still accessible.

“I’ve never seen starships like this before…” Harran tried to recognize the model, but he never was crazed over the starships.

“Let’s go check it out!” Tracey cheered and ran to the ramp. It was closed, but she climbed on the ice and tried to force it to go down.

“It’s no use Trace.” Harry chuckled. Next to him, Daphne was still reluctant to approach the mass of metal. 

“Then how…” 

Harran aimed his whipcord and fired it. The ramp offered resistance, so he walked back and used a big chunk of ice sticking from the floor as a leverage point. He also reached into the force and allowed it to flow through him, directing it toward the ramp and pulling it down. Not that his adopted sisters had to know… yet. He was waiting for the right moment to tell them, but it never seemed to come. 

With a loud creak, the ramp fell down to reveal a dark inside of the ship. The first thing that attracted attention was a skeleton holding a blaster in its sprawled hand. 

“Whoa… Is it just me or does it give you shivers too?” Tracey asked before leaping inside. Harry shook his head and followed, with Daphne guarding their rear as she followed as well. 

There was no power and the temperature was only a little better than outside, but Daphne would take it over freezing in the storm.

Inside, there was a large cargo area with several crates still there, some were toppled over and emptied while others remained stacked. Four doors leading to other parts of the ship were magnetically sealed and frozen together. Harry doubted even force could open them without tearing the ship apart. 

Harran first approached the body. He leaned down and plucked the blaster from the skeleton’s hand. It looked… ancient. It used the kind of power cells that fell out of use centuries ago, and the venting system was manually regulated. He had seen such weapons only in museums. 

“Hey! I found something!” Daphne called them over. Harry and Tracey quickly zeroed at what she was pointing. Hidden behind a stack of crates, there was a ladder leading to the upper level. “Engine room must be upstairs.”

Harry motioned for her to move away and drew his blaster. “I’m not sure if anything’s still alive up there, but better to be prepared. Galaxy is a large and diverse place.”

The upper level was less wide but longer. Directly in front of him, there was the engine room with the generator. At the first glance, it seemed in fine working order. In the opposite direction, the deck widened a bit to make space for a holoprojector table surrounded by eight chairs. Further, there were other magnetic doors and a ladder leading somewhere higher, probably the cannon control. 

“Seems to be safe!” He shouted to the girls and jumped up. His first destination was the engine room to check things up. He was no a mechanic, but trying to survive on earth taught him the basics of engineering. The survival guide in the emergency kit had instructions about basic repairs. 

So far, it looked like the engines were not the problem. The hyperdrive on the other hand was completely fried. The power generator looked ancient, but it could actually work in their favor. From his expanded bag, Harran pulled a large container of refined Exonium fuel. He exchanged the empty fuel-cell for his and, after making sure everything was properly attached, he flipped the lever and activated the circulation. 

At first, nothing happened. Then, the lights flickered to life as the generator started to give a loud hum. The diagnostic panel on the wall lit up and Harry went to check it. Daphne and Tracey looked amazed by everything. The former was a pure-blood that never even heard of electricity, and galactic technology was more advanced than muggles could create in this time, even if it was centuries old. Tracey used to live in a muggle orphanage, but she was still baffled by being on a real spaceship. It has really driven it home just what she signed up for. 

“It appears that the hyperdrive malfunction caused them to come out of hyperspace  _ inside _ the atmosphere.” Harry mused as he read through the last automatic incident report. 

“And… it’s bad?”

“Well… Imagine flying faster than light before being suddenly pulled to reality. The shields were what saved the ship from being crushed by the atmosphere. I’m amazed it’s almost undamaged… But it seems that someone did a bit of repair before… Ya’ know.” He motioned vaguely, thinking back to the body in the cargo hold. 

“Yeah…” Daphne shivered. 

“The good thing is that heating started to work.” Tracey looked for positives. “The doors should start working soon.”

As if on cue, the doors on the other side of the room opened.

“Let’s go check this out.” Harry motioned for them to get their weapons ready just in case. Trace drew her newly-forged sword. It was modeled after goblin swords, but slightly longer. Daphne took the WESTAR-35 that Harran gave her. Vizsla carried two with him, but Harry much preferred to use one blaster and his lightsaber.

Inside the corridor, there were three sets of doors. First led to the computer room. There were sensors, cameras, and (most importantly) the ship manifest and logs. 

Daphne and Tracey couldn’t read Aurebesh fluently yet, so they took guard while Harry started to peruse. 

According to the log, the  _ Herald _ -class light freighter with the name erased for some reason was a Jedi spaceship back from before the Ruusan Reformation. It was on special assignment in wild space, moving supplies to an operative behind enemy lines during an unspecified war. Probably when the captain wrote the entries, it was obvious. The last manual entry was from hyperspace. They were flying blind and while their astromech declared the road safe, their resident Jedi Master had a really bad feeling about that. 

Harran wanted to switch to the manifest, but he must’ve misclicked something because instead, a hologram came to life and displayed the captain’s silhouette. He was a human male, but it was hard to make out his clothes. 

“ _ This is *hzhshz*... The ship was pulled out of hyperspace by an emergency sub-system. There was a planet directly on our path that did not show on any long-range scans. We’re running on the backup generator. The fuel cell was damaged and we’re out of spares. Master Mori left the ship to look for help, but we are unable to follow her. The temperatures outside would kill us instantly. By cross-referencing the maps, we were able to pinpoint our location. I have updated our galactic map and activated the emergency beacon, but it’s no use. We’re too far away from the republic. Now, we’re clinging to the hope that she’ll be able to get help…” _

_ “Survivor log… entry thirteen. We tried to lift the ship today, but it’s no good. The engines are frozen and a thick layer of ice is holding us down. The ramp is still functional, but we are not going to open it. We’d be risking death. Allinor and Ana are trying to put together some environmental suits, but so far, we’re missing too many elements. The life support seems to be in fine working order, but we’re slowly running out of rations. I hope master Mori hurries…” _

_ “Survivor log… entry twenty-five. Against our advice, Sig tried to leave. We’ve locked the ramp after him, but we have no way of knowing if he gets anywhere. Even the short period of cold exposure almost sent me into a coma. Ana and Allinor seem to be holding it better, with Chiss physiology and all… We’ve lost hope that Mori manages to get help. I just hope she is safe.” _

The image changed slightly. The speaker was now younger. The blue aura of the hologram made it hard to recognize the skin color, but deep down Harran knew it was the male Chiss previous logs mentioned.

_ “Survivor log… entry forty-one… This is Allinor Valantos… Padawan to the Jedi Order… It’s been almost three standard weeks since the captain passed away… My sister… Ana left the ship today… I’m the last one remaining… The supplies may last me another week… The life support and water filter… maybe two more… power is scarce. It’s a miracle it lasted so long…” _

The hologram changed again. They were now seeing the Chiss lying on the ground, using a wall behind him as a support.

_ “Survivor log… Why do I even bother… This is my last entry. Power finally died out. I managed to jury-rig a small battery that will allow me to leave this message… Whoever finds us…” _ He was interrupted by static. _ “The war will probably be over by then… I just wish… I could’ve been there… I’m sorry we failed… Shar… Forgive me.” _

The three young Mandalorians watched in horror as the young Chiss tried to reach for something beyond the visible area. The recording ended. 

“It’s… Horrible! How… I…” Tracey, who was usually the most happy-go-lucky in the group, appeared thoroughly shaken. 

“I’m not sure what calendar they used, but it appears this ship is around… three thousand years old!” Harran declared. 

“Well, you’ve got what you wanted? Can we leave now?” Daphne shivered. “I want to get as far away from here as possible.”

“We’ve spent two weeks searching for this ship.” Harry pointed out. “It might be our only way off this planet.”

“You’ve heard them! They were stuck.” The girl didn’t want to give up.

“Because they were trying to use a backup generator to power the main engines.”

“Fine… What’s the plan?”

“We go to the cockpit and up the engine power. The heat should melt the ice layer. Once we have enough space to move, we use the turbo-lasers to bust our way out.”

“And they didn’t do it because?” Daphne criticized. 

“Well, first of all, they were on backup power, which is designed to last long, but power only the necessities. Life support… water filter… Heating… If they tried it with their power reserves and failed, they would die within days. We don’t have to worry. I packed seven fuel cells, so we’re bound to succeed.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing.” His best female friend was a real pessimist.

“I saw it on the holovids.” Harry joked and pushed between them, quickly walking to the controls.

“You’re kidding, right?” Daphne asked. “Right?!” She shouted after him, but he was ignoring her. 

He wasn’t kidding. 

\------------

But the trick worked. They managed to break through the ice and lift off. The ride was incredibly bumpy as Harry never piloted a starship before, but he was getting a grip on it. They managed to get back to camp in fifteen minutes. The landing was even bumpier but nothing was damaged. At least nothing visible. 

Daphne was more than happy to pack up everything and leave. They boarded the ship again and set course to Hogsmeade. Trying to enter Hogwarts location proved to be impossible, even if Harry remembered exactly where in relation to the village it was. The term unplotable actually became meaningful.

The flight took them three hours. It would’ve taken less, but Harry insisted on learning the basics of flying. He almost crashed into the ocean at least a dozen times but in the end, he was able to actually pilot the thing. Or at least pilot it without almost crashing. The ship’s sensor jammers were in working order, so they had no fear of muggles detecting them. 

When they flew over Hogsmeadge, people left their homes and businesses to see what was that about. The ship was about thirty meters long and twenty-five meters wide. 

A similar thing happened when they arrived at Hogwarts. The wards let them in. By the time Harry managed to land, there was an entire crowd of onlookers. 

“So… ready to face the wolves?” He joked.

“The chances they will leave us in peace are about the same as Malfoy kissing Weasley,” Tracey responded. 

“That’s not an image I wanted in my mind…” Daphne complained as she got up from her chair. She led the group to the cargo hold and looked around. “What were they supposed to be transporting anyway?”

“Um… supplies for a covert intelligence cell behind the front lines.” Harran quickly remembered the manifest. 

In response, Daphne kicked one of the crates and caused it to fall over. A bunch of blaster rifles dropped on the floor. 

“Sweet! Come to mama!” If Tracey wasn’t wearing a helmet, they would see sparks in her eyes. She picked one of the rifles and caressed it carefully as if she was holding a baby. 

“I guess they went through most of the supplies, but power cells, rifles, pistols… the hard stuff is undamaged. It’s all ancient, but… For now, it’s better than I expected. I think Ragnuk will be pleased if he receives two crates.” 

There were a total of twenty crates of various military supplies still intact. If all contained similar equipment as the one Daphne opened, it would add to the total of over five hundred blasters. Enough to ready a small army. 

Daphne also grabbed a rifle and put it over her shoulder. “Ready to face the wolves now?”

Harry opened one of the chests and happily plucked a blaster pistol. “Sure, but I’ll be taking my WESTAR back now.” 

“Spoilsport,” The blonde muttered as she handed him the gun, taking the one he was holding in exchange. 

As the ramp opened, the three walked down to face a large crowd made of people from all of the schools. Someone in Hogsmeadge must’ve alerted the ministry because a large contingent of aurors was running from that direction.

“Hello! We come in peace!” Tracey joked. 

“Mr. Po… Kryze!  _ That’s _ what your expedition was about?” McGonagall stormed to the trio.

“Yup. I got some clues that there was a ship stuck somewhere north. It’s ancient, but still in good condition. Once I fix some… minor technical errors…” He didn’t want anyone to know that the ship was in fact perfectly preserved by the ice that coated it.

“Harry!” Neville pushed through the crowd. He was wearing his armor under the robes, but he didn’t bring the helmet with him. 

“Hya Nev. Like the new bird?” Harran greeted his friend before turning back to McGonagall. “The other schools brought their living arrangements. I decided now that there is more than just me, I can’t be worse.”

“Arrest him! And seize that… that… monstrosity!” The frog in pink returned. Was she half-Gungan or something?

“Um… under what charges?” Harry asked while the hand under his cloak went to the lightsaber.

“This… thing is… a danger to everyone! You’re endangering the school!” She was really proud of finding a reason.

“I mean yeah, technically I could right now wipe your entire forces with the turbo-lasers…” Harry began, causing the people that heard him to pale significantly. “Then again, the Durmstrang warship has several slugthrower cannons aimed at the castle at all times. So go ahead and arrest me and my friends, but be sure you also arrest the guests from Durmstrang and their headmaster.”

“Also, be sure to inform King Ragnuk.” Tracey took a stand next to her adopted brother. “He would be delighted to hear about how his personal friend was arrested under fabricated charges.” 

“And don’t forget the ICW court. You can save everyone time and give them the report about… I’m not familiar with the legal term for when the government decides to steal from a private person…” Daphne joined.

“And since Harry is a squib and this is entirely non-magical property, I’ll have to contact the muggle government about infringement of squib rights and persecution.” Neville was taking a tad too much pleasure in this. 

“But… but…”

“Better luck next time,  _ Hut’tuun _ ” Harran waved her off. 

“You’ll see, Potter, that it’s unwise to cross the ministry.”

“Be careful about the witnesses.” Tracey would blow her a raspberry if she wasn’t wearing a helmet. 

The pink witch stormed off, with a gaggle of confused aurors following her. Some stayed to deal with formalities. Harry registered the ship with the ministry as his finding, presenting the holo-journal as proof that no other claimant remained and he could keep it as the finder. 

The ship was named “The Coldbreaker” or  _ Ciryc Shukur _ in Mando’a.

\------------

Satine walked down from the balcony. The guards escorting her were all in morbid humor. With the death of the de-facto prince, Mandalore was on the brink of civil war. Death Watch seemed to be in disarray, breaking into smaller cells that each recruited new members. Many people felt that Satine was ill-fitted to rule. That her peaceful response was too little too late. They wanted justice. 

It was only after Harran’s death that she realized how much influence her son had over the people. He was universally beloved by both the New Mandalorian and Traditionalists. Too often she dismissed his opinions as uneducated or rash, but she didn’t know how much time he spent debating with members of her court.

Satine arrived at her private chambers before finally taking off the mask. She tossed it unceremonially at the floor and wept for her lost son.

“ _ Mand’alor…”  _ She didn’t know how long passed before a guard interrupted her. After the fiasco that was the attack, she changed the guards’ armors to something more traditional and efficient. They now wore a variation of traditional  _ beskar’gam _ . Each was painted black and green. Justice and Duty. 

“What now?!” She snapped. 

“There is… a Jedi came to visit.” 

“I’ll greet him in the throne room.” She declared in an emotionless voice. Satine picked the mask from the floor and put it on. There was no point in waiting. It covered her face, so it would hide the tear stains well.

When Satine entered the throne room, there was a cloaked man waiting for her. The auburn beard was a dead giveaway of who it was.

“What brings a Jedi to Mandalore, Master Kenobi? I believe I specifically forbid your order from entering my domain.” While her voice was empty of emotions, her stance gave away the anger she was feeling. The mask only further distorted it, making her sound almost not like a human. 

“Forgive the intrusion, your majesty…” Obi-wan replied politely, not sure what to expect. The grief was palpable in the air. “I came to see an old friend, give my condolences, and pay respect to the dead.” 

“ _ Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la _ .” She spoke mechanically. “Not dead. Merely marching away, Ben. Accompany me to the private part, please?” She tried to gather it in herself to hate the man that left her. She wanted to despise him for choosing The Order over her.

But she couldn’t. She understood his feelings then and she knew that she also made that choice. And she wanted a familiar company now more than ever…

\--------

In a different part of Mandalorian space, another Kryze was storming around the camp like a raging sandstorm of Tatooine. Her armor was now almost entirely gray with minimal gold decorations. Mourning and Vengeance. A big difference from her usual blue and gray. 

“You utter  _ Hut’tuun! _ ” She screamed at the last remaining member of the kidnapping group. “ _ sheb'urcyin _ !  _ Di’kutt _ ! In what world was kidnapping Harran a good plan?!”

“Lord Vizsla…”

“Is dead! He killed himself and my nephew! Two warriors died that day because of his hunger for power! Two good warriors…”

“Calm down.” A new voice joined the discussion. A bulky man with blonde hair and some trace of beard placed a heavy hand on Bo-Katan’s shoulder. Only one of his eyes still worked. “We need to adapt.”

“Yes… Mand’alor Saxon…” Bo-Katan bowed.


	7. The Lake of the Mando

Heir of Mandalore - C07/The Lake of The Mando

\---------

Harran was awakened in the middle of the night by some sound outside the ship. To make a point, he, Daphne, and Tracey chose to sleep in the ship for now. The Shrieking Shack would remain their secret retreat and fortress, but the more ready access to Hogwart grounds was a welcome change. 

Grabbing the ‘saber, he walked down in his sleeping robe. The ramp opened to reveal a girl with blonde hair looking curiously at the ship. 

She was dressed in a white nightgown. And that was it. She had no footwear. Her blonde hair was flowing freely over her shoulders. There was some ethereal glow to her pale skin. 

“Hello, Harry Potter.” She greeted him in an airy tone. “Or is it Harran Kryze?”

“Kryze.” He muttered, half asleep. “Can I help you?”

“No. Thank you for the offer.” She stood there, looking at the ship.

“Um… shouldn’t you be in bed?” He asked, not entirely sure what to do with the situation.

“You are correct, but I woke up like that in front of the doors to my house. The guardian is already asleep.”

“Uh-huh.” Harran nodded. He was slowly getting a picture. 

“I’m happy you found the ship. Mum would be delighted to see it fly again.” She spoke after a moment of awkward silence.

Harry had to double back. Suddenly, he felt much more alive.

“Your mother… knew of the ship in the arctic?”

“Of course. Her ancestor came in it.” The girl spoke like it was the most obvious fact in the galaxy. “How else would a Jedi get here?” 

“A Jedi… But aren’t Jedi forbidden from having kids? How could a Jedi be your ancestor.” He would  _ not _ reveal who his father was. 

“But… your father is a Jedi too. And I never heard of such a funny rule. How would they get more Jedi then?”

There went his hopes of keeping his parentage a secret from the mysterious girl. He tried to think of something to say for a few moments but ended up only standing on the ramp, with his mouth wide open.

“I guess it is possible that some species replicate…” She commented after a while, reminding him that she was still there.

“Um… Say, didn’t your mother own a Holocron?” 

“Why yes!” She beamed while retaining the ethereal aura. “It helped her teach me.” She was suddenly saddened. “Daddy sold her with the rest of her belongings after…”

“I get it.” He tried to comfort her. “I mean I got it.” He doubled back. 

There was a glimmer of hope in her eyes. “You did?”

“Yeah. I could bring it if you want.” 

“No. That is good. You will need it more than me. And Nargles would probably take it away from me.” 

“If I offered to take you to other Jedi, would your father agree?”

“Yes! He also wanted to meet other Jedi. He has so many questions.” 

Technically, The Coldbreaker could fit seven passengers. And their cargo hold would have space for some spare beds. They would be fine with a little detour to Courscant to drop the mysterious girl and her father with the Jedi. The problem was the hyperdrive. There was no way to replace it, so unless it fell from the sky in front of him…

He waited with that thought for a moment, but no luck.

“Wait!” He called as the girl started to walk away. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“I didn’t throw it…” She spoke in a serious voice before giggling at his befuddled expression. “It was a joke.” She explained. “My name is Luna Lovegood. Jedi initiate.” 

“Sure…” He decided to return inside and get some more sleep.

\----------

The weeks to the second task were spent on training and practice flights. Tracey proved to be an equally quick study when it came to piloting, which was good since the ship needed two pilots to fly outside the atmosphere. Their first flight around the moon went without a hitch. Since then. They were able to easily get anywhere on earth, as long as they had a landing space. And not attract the muggle authorities. The ship had radar jammers, but it couldn’t hide from the naked eye. 

Two weeks before the second task, he was summoned to the Department of Magical Law enforcement. 

“...While I understand that your ship was in no way enchanted and is technically fully muggle, there are people putting pressure on me to arrest you for breaking the statute of secrecy.” Madame Amelia Bones explained. She hated doing it, but she also didn’t want to lose her job. 

“You said it yourself, Madame. It’s entirely muggle. The only magical thing on board are Tracey and Daphne.”  _ And me, my lightsaber, and the Holocron _ . He didn’t voice that thought though. 

“Could you… refrain from flying it everywhere?” She asked. “It would make both our lives much easier.” 

“I can’t promise anything. Now can we get to the real point of the meeting?” Harran asked. 

“Wha… How did you figure…”

“Because if it was just about a parking ticket, I wouldn’t be meeting the head of the department.” He pointed out.

“Fine. I like to keep track of what goes around. You delivered four crates of those  _ blasters _ to the goblins.” It was not a question. 

“Yes. Ragnuk is my personal friend and I had too many of them anyway.” It was merely twenty percent of his reserve. 

“You are aware that Goblins are forbidden from acquiring any weapons from outside their nation?” She tried to guess what was going on in his head. While she was rather sympathetic to the boy, having known his true parents (even if she didn’t know they were his real parents at first), a group of armed goblins was worrying.

Harran smiled. “And that’s where we enter the gray area of law. I’m a Mandalorian. The Goblins are Mandalorians. Most of the goblins consider me one of them. I consider them my people.”

Amelia Bones wasn’t happy with this answer. “You must understand my worry.” 

“I do.” Harry nodded. “But I also believe the goblins have the right to be able to defend themselves. King Ragnuk swore that the rifles would be distributed to his royal guards.”

“I hope you are right. The last thing we need is a new goblin rebellion.”

“If that’s all…” The Mandalorian got up from his seat. “Oh! I almost forgot.” He pulled a small device from one of his pockets and handed it to Madame Bones. 

“What is that?” She asked, picking it up.

“A planetary communicator. With it, we should be able to communicate instantly from anywhere on this planet.” Harran explained. 

“With… this?” She held the device between two fingers. 

“Yes. I think it’ll be beneficial for both of us to have an established line of communication.” 

“Aren’t you presuming too much?” Madame Bones asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Did you figure out who tried to kill me by entering me into this tournament?” He replied with a question of his own. Without waiting for an answer, he left. 

\------

On the day of the second task, Harran was awakened by a panicked Tracey. He groggily got up.

“Wha…”

“Daphne is missing! Someone took her!” 

“Maybe she just…”

“No! You don’t understand. I’ve seen them levitating her out of here! Right before they stunned me!” Tracey screamed at him. 

This woke him up alright. He jumped out of the bed and grabbed his Darksaber. 

“Who was it?”

“Dumbledore. And the other teachers.” Tracey could clearly remember the distinct robes of her former headmaster.

“Put on your armor and go grab Nev. The task starts in an hour.”

“and what…”

“I’m going to have a little chat with some people.” 

Having a semblance of a plan, Harran quickly got into the armor, and he and Tracey went into separate directions. He had a feeling he would find the teachers near where the second task was supposed to be: the lake. 

Just as expected, he found them all on a floating platform with the judges and some eager students already taking place. He was satisfied to see Sharphook there already. He would need some impartial witnesses. 

“You are either  _ kotepne _ or  _ di’kutlane  _ bunch I’ve seen.” 

“Harry, my boy. Whatever do you mean.” Dumbledore tried to assume his grandfatherly persona, which only served to infuriate the Mandalorian further. Angry Mandalorians are the most dangerous. Especially when the anger is righteous and stems from protecting their friends and family. 

Harran pulled out a blaster and aimed it at the old man. “Don’t play dumb. Where is Daphne.” 

“She is your hostage. Did you not figure the clue?” Bagman asked, sweating profoundly with the weapon he’d seen destroy an ancient artifact aimed in his direction. 

“You mean the screeching egg? I did not.” 

“ _ Come seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground, And while you're searching, ponder this; We've taken what you'll sorely miss, An hour long you'll have to look, And recover what we took, But past an hour — the prospect's black, Too late, it's gone, it won't come back _ ” Crouch recited, grumbling. “Here. Now you know.”

He was repaid for his generosity with a blaster shot that landed an inch from his leg. 

“Mr. Kryze!” McGonagall screamed. “You can’t…”

“Where is she now?”

“Inside the lake. When the task starts, you’ll have to find her.”

“Or I can go now.”

“And risk losing your magic.” Karkaroff seemed pleased with the idea. 

Grumbling, Harran pocketed his blaster. “Fine. But pray she is okay.”

An hour later, the other three champions arrived, dressed in swimwear. 

“Aren’t you going to put on something more… suited for the task?” Cedric asked the skulking Harry, who was busy attaching something to the inside of his helmet.

“I have everything I need.” He responded through gritted teeth. The champions understood his sentiment. They noticed people close to them missing as they woke up. 

“Everyone’s here? Good! Good!” 

There was a speech about what the task would entail that Harran mostly ignored in favor of finishing final modifications to his tech. The helmet was already prepared to be adjusted to the underwater environment. He just had to attach everything and make sure it was placed properly. His blasters and Lightsaber would both work fine underwater and his jetpack had a water setting. No Mandalorian liked to be surprised by anything. 

As soon as the cannon went off, he leaped into the lake. He tried to think how they would hide the hostages. With a big chunk of worry, he disregarded the safety specifications. With what he had seen so far, ensuring hostages’ safety would be the least of their concerns. Instead, he chose to search for the most challenging place. 

His first direction was the giant field of algae. He had to disable his jet-pack there and manually move through, lest he risked getting the plants jammed in the system. 

As he moved slowly through the thick scrub, a scream reached his helmet. About the only thing that was still working among his sensors were darkvision and enhanced sound detection. The rest was useless in such a magic-rich environment. He immediately changed the direction and used a small force push to give himself a bit of momentum. With a blaster and Darksaber in his hands, he moved swiftly, cutting through the plants.

“Why didn’t I think of it before.” He deadpanned to himself.

He arrived at a small clearing where Fleur Delacour was fighting a group of small octopus-like creatures. She was quickly being overwhelmed by the assault. One of the beasts managed to pierce the bubble that was keeping her alive. 

Harry didn’t wait. He started shooting at the creatures. This got their attention. As soon as the first three beasts fell to the blaster fire, the group changed direction and dashed toward him. His pupils widened and then focused. Harran started to slice through any that got close, but there were just too many of them. He knew where they would try to strike him, but it was little good when he couldn’t be everywhere at once. Finally, he figured a change of strategy was in order. No matter how many he killed, they just kept coming. 

He dropped an unlocked detonator and pushed himself up with the force. For a moment, the creatures curiously approached the flashing red lights. Then, a fiery explosion evaporated them all. 

Harry meanwhile carefully lifted the unconscious Fleur Delacour and activated his jetpack, dashing straight above the water level.

\------

The public sat there, watching the calm lake or looking at the giant clock. The tension was growing constantly. 

Then, about fifteen minutes into the challenge, something leaped out of the water, floated a moment in the distance, and approached the platform. Harran gently placed Fleur on the planks and took off his helmet. He placed a hand on her lungs and sent a small probe of the Force to examine her inside. 

Like with most things he did, it was completely improvised. He was pretty much acting on pure instincts with that one. He could sense a mass of water inside her lungs, drowning her fast. He made it look like he pressed her chest while he forced the water out of her lungs. To the outsider, it looked like he just made her cough. The effect was still exactly as he hoped for. 

Fleur vomited the water from her lungs as she sat straight. 

Harran didn’t stay. He put on a helmet and dived back underwater. He had limited time. 

No longer relying on logic, Harry decided to use his other ace in the sleeve. Closing his eyes, he focused on sensing Daphne. On sensing humans in general. He knew one could sense other force-users. He just needed to focus. 

He felt a small tug toward the center of the lake. Without bothering to analyze it, he dashed forward using both the jetpack and force. 

In less than five minutes, he arrived on the outskirts of a village. He was greeted by a group of sentients holding spears and tridents. 

“Let me pass or I will show you exactly how an angry Mandalorian fights.” He growled under his helmet. The creatures apparently understood because they let him enter.

In the center of the village, attached to the bottom of the lake with heavy chains, were four hostages. Harran immediately recognized Daphne. She was still wearing her nightgown. He would have some words with the judges after the task. Tracey and Neville better have already found Madame Bones because otherwise, he couldn’t promise he wouldn’t lead the goblin rebellion himself. 

As he approached Daphne, he noticed the creatures were swarming around a little girl with silver hair. She couldn’t have been older than eight, maybe nine. From his position, he couldn’t tell if they were protecting her or waiting for something, but he didn’t like their smiles. Still, he resisted the urge to dash and save the girl. He had to get Daphne to safety, then he could return. 

A swing of Darksaber and his adopted sister was free. He hugged her with one arm as he activated the jet-pack on full power and dashed up, to the water surface.

He quickly arrived at the platform and gently placed Daphne on the planks. He looked around to see how the others were faring. Fleur was now arguing with the judges. He decided that he could as well give them a piece of his mind now rather than later. 

“... Non!  _ S'il vous plaît _ ! I must save my  _ sœur _ ! Let me go! She can’t…”

“What’s going on here?” Harran made sure to sound as menacing as he could. 

“My  _ sœur _ ! My sister! Zey want to leave ‘er zere! With ze Merpeople! Save Gabrielle!” She immediately turned to him. 

While his eyes were hidden behind the helmet, his rage was strong enough to emanate through force itself. Not that the wizards could understand what was happening. They just felt incredibly uncomfortable. 

Harran clenched and unclenched his fists a few times, focusing on his mental shields. When he was sure that the rage was his, not induced by the dark side, he turned to the nearest judge and delivered a powerful uppercut. Karkaroff, because he was the unlucky recipient, flew a few feet in the air before landing on the planks with an audible thud. Satisfied with the result, Harry started pacing back and forth, fighting with himself. 

“I’m not responsible.” He tried to reason. “Why is it me that needs to risk my helmet for… Oh! Kriffing Void I need therapy!” He groaned as he was already leaping into the cold lake. 

This time, he arrived at the village in seven minutes. It appeared that Krum already got his hostage. Chang and Fleur’s sister remained. 

The merpeople blocked his entrance.

“Only one!” The merman on the front hissed. 

“And what of the one that can’t be saved? One of the champions is too injured to save theirs.”

“The veela spawn will be our feast! We will serve her at tonight’s gathering as the main course! She is the enemy of our…” The sentence was cut short when he received a blast shot to the forehead. Harran heard too much already. He could sense that beast was honest. It truly planned to eat the little child without remorse.

Harran’s pupils widened and focused in quick succession as he rushed forward. His moves were slightly clumsier than usual due to water resistance, but he cut through his enemies as fast as he could. He used the same trick as with octopus-like creatures, but it proved less efficient with opponents that could think. He quickly ran out of darts that he brought with him, but they helped dispatch more Merfolk. Each small explosion would disable at least three of them. 

He didn’t have time to think about the deaths. He didn’t care. They wanted to eat a literal child. They would see no mercy from him. Each that stood in his way was cut. But it was different from his fight with Vizsla. He could still feel the Dark Side trying to enter him. Trying to amplify his anger. He drew on its power with each swing. He used it to help him strike. But he didn’t let it use him. Occlumency barriers stopped it.

He finally reached Gabrielle. That was the name of the girl. He thought. a swift cut and she was free. But her skin was freezing. His sensors were telling him she was in critical condition. 

Harran pulled four detonators and activated them. His jetpack propelled him to the surface as he left the charges behind. Any merfolk that tried to chase him died in a large explosion. Cho was beyond the reach of it, which was a good thing. He might’ve gotten a bit overzealous.

He didn’t land anywhere near the judges this time. Instead, he delivered Gabrielle right to the medical tent. Madame Pomfrey tried to get him checked too, but he ordered her to save the girl’s life first. He was still well enough to kick the backside of several  _ Di’kutte.  _ After the initial inspection, she informed him that the girl would live. The spell keeping her safe was damaged by the merpeople, but he saved her before any permanent damage was done. Pleased with the outcome, he left. 

When he went outside, he could see the judges standing dangerously close to the edge of the platform as four men were trying to stop two bird-like creatures with fireballs in each hand from tearing them apart. He chuckled before starting his jetpack. He had to make an entrance. 

Harran zoomed barely above the water from the side of the stands so that no one saw him come. The soft sound of his jetpack carried on the water surface, making an ominous echo. When he came behind the judges and rose slightly above their level, with his arms crossed on his chest and the helmet revealing no emotions, he looked like a pinnacle of professionalism and power.

“Well, hello there.” He greeted them, making all five turn around. “Who would like to explain to me why I had to fight through an entire village of human-eating fish-people to save a girl that you kidnapped?” The helmet distorted his voice, making him sound slightly robotic. All the better for the effect.

“Harry! My boy. As I was trying to assure the beautiful ladies, none of the hostages were in any real danger.” 

“Well, the creatures in the lake certainly had different plans for Gabrielle. They were planning to serve her as the main course tonight.” He seethed. With a slight lean forward, his jetpack moved him toward the judges, who made a step back. His feet touched the platform and he deactivated the flight. 

“What! Non! Zey were merely… motivating the champions. Eez zat right, Dumbleedore?” Madame Maxime looked slightly green.

“Oh! They were honest alright. They went as far as trying to kill me when I returned to save her.” Harran had to reinforce his mental shields to stop the dark side from pushing him to do something wrong. For a moment, he stopped looking at the judges and turned his gaze to where the bird-like creatures were a moment ago. 

He was surprised to find two incredibly beautiful women instead. They both had that ageless look he’d seen in some people. They could very well be in their late twenties as in their early fifties. Both had long, silvery-blonde hair, perfect bodies, and smiles that could blind the onlookers. In short: they looked like angels. 

“You are the one that saved my daughter?” One of them asked.

“Yeah, I…”

Whatever he wanted to say was interrupted when the two women pulled him into a tight hug. Thank the force for his armor or he might’ve ended up crushed.

“For someone so beautiful you are rather strong…” He murmured before realizing what he was saying. 

“Aren’t you a charmer?” One of them asked with a soft smile on her face. “But also so young.” 

“You’ve Veela” The realization dawned on him. “Fleur’s family I assume.”

“Perceptive. Yes. I’m Apolline Delacour, and this is my mother, Eleanore.” 

“ _ Su'cuy _ . Harran Kryze.”

“Hello, Mousier Kryze. I’m Jean-Jacques Delacour. My daughter informed me that not only you saved her life, but also jumped without hesitation to save her sister.”

“ _ I couldn’t help it,” _ Harry muttered under his breath. “It was no problem at all. I couldn’t leave her in the lake, especially when I learned what those monsters wanted to do with her.” He scowled under the helmet. 

Seeing the Veela subdued, the reporters began to try and swarm everyone. Harran wanted to do something painful to those vultures, but the best he could do was not to give them a show here. 

“I believe we should move to another location.” He turned to the judges. “You will come with us.” 

“But… the second task!” Bagman cried.

As if on cue, Cedric and Krum came out of the lake at the same time. They both looked roughed up, but both had their hostages. They admitted that since they heard the screams that carried over the entire lake, they chose to work together for the sake of their hostages. 

“Cries of pain?” Dumbledore inquired. He already knew what the answer would be, but he needed to hear it.

“When I cut through the merfolk.” Harran supplied. “To save Gabrielle.” 

This earned mixed reactions. Some people were horrified at his casual speaking of de-facto slaughter (in their minds at least). Others were startled by it. He was only fifteen, and yet able to fight through the entire village of merpeople. Finally, Fleur now had a dangerous glimmer in her eyes that Harran spotted. She reminded him a bit of Tracey. He gulped.  _ Nope. Not again. I have a full party already! _

“If that’s all, I’m needed elsewhere. Probably filing an international complaint.” He deadpanned before dashing away on his jetpack. 

\------------

Hermione was sitting in the library, reading furiously. She wanted to be angry at Neville. She wanted to go and scream at him for forgetting her. For no longer spending time with her. She wanted to kick him. 

But she couldn’t. She was well aware that he tried to include her. At least at first. When he wasn’t with Kryze, he tried to meet with her, to practice or read or talk. But she wouldn’t give up the one subject he refused to touch. She pushed him until he’d see her less and less. Until he would focus more on training and leave her alone. 

Too late she realized she pushed her friend away. It wasn’t even her that realized it. It was Lavender Brown of all people that mocked her for pushing Neville away with her know-it-all personality. It hurt so much more because she was right. 

Someone approached her spot. She quickly closed the book and looked around, a hand resting on her wand. It was late. No one was supposed to be here at this hour in the middle of the week. She felt a small gust of wind and immediately turned toward that direction. 

“Granger.” Malfoy suddenly appeared from behind a stack of books. 

“What do you want, ferret?” She snapped. She was prepared to see his two bodyguards and a pug, but he appeared alone.

“To offer you a… mutually beneficial partnership.” He spoke in a soft voice. 

“Why would I ever work with someone like you?” She glared at him, but the curiosity was gnawing her from the inside. 

“Because I can offer you something you want. I can remove Kryze from the picture.” Draco’s voice was strange. Enticing. She wasn’t sure why, but instead of the usual irritating undertone he sounded… appealing. 

“What… what do… what’s on your mind?” She asked, feeling a cloud on her mind. She was suddenly very tired. 

He pushed a scrap of paper toward her. On it, there were some words in a language she didn’t recognize. “Translate it for me from Gobbledegook. That’s all.”

“But… you can do it… alone.” Her mind was feeling slow. “Or… ask the pug.” 

“True. But they aren’t you. You are the only one who can do it properly before the next task.” He praised her. She liked his praise. Why did she like his praise?

“I… I will do it.” She nodded. There was a small pulse of magic and the world around her turned black. The last thing she saw was Malfoy’s malicious smile. He had such a beautiful smile...


	8. Chapter 8

Heir of Mandalore - C08/Mando to the Rescue!

\----------

The international court turned out to be a joke, mostly because Dumbledore was its head. Did that guy control everything? He could’ve as well tried to accuse Chancellor Palpatine of trying to assassinate someone. The effects would be exactly the same. There would be an official inquiry, but that old  _ Osik _ was too deeply rooted for them to do anything. Dumbledore’s stunt definitely hurt his standing both in Magical Britain as well as on the international stage. Harran was pleased to hear that the meddling fool was banned for life from entering Magical France. It would certainly become a thorn in the old man’s side. Hogwarts also lost some students after the incident, whose parents were afraid for their safety and decided to send them abroad. Harran moved the Coldbreaker next to the shrieking shack and returned to the previous routine of coming and going to Hogwarts, ways unknown. 

On the brighter note, Harran managed to easily dissuade Fleur (and her sister) from trying to join him. Bless the Force for small mercies. It wasn’t easy, but in the end, both were too close to her parents. He explained that they would need to abandon everything and quite possibly never return to earth. 

About a week after the second task, Neville was attacked by Malfoy’s cronies. They seemed to forget that he had taken to wearing armor under the robes. In return, he didn’t even bother with a wand. It turned out, that Crabbe and Goyle while looking like trolls, had none of the Troll Strength. They went down after two strikes each. Nott fainted before Neville even got to him. 

The day after Augusta Longbottom stormed Harran’s house and would’ve kissed him if he didn’t wear a helmet at the time. She was beaming and decided to pull Neville from Hogwarts and let him stay with him full time. After that, Harry didn’t plan on returning to the castle until it was time for the third task. Instead, he and his clan spent time training and preparing for leaving the planet (or at least the island) as soon as the tournament ended.

\---------

A week before the third task was upon them, Harran was summoned to the Bank. His account manager was very mysterious over the comms and only said it was something important. 

Around nine in the morning, four armored Mandalorians stepped from the floo access in the private part of the bank. One of the privileges he enjoyed was full access to the Goblin part of the bank. Of course, not all goblins were satisfied with his presence there at first, but with time he earned the universal respect of the tribe. For the most part, the goblins accepted him and his foundlings as their own. 

When he entered the meeting room, he was surprised to find Lucius Malfoy and his wife waiting there.

“Excuse my language, but what the kriffing void is he doing here?” He glared at his account manager.

“ _ N'eparavu takisit _ , but he left us no choice. He is here as the official representative for the Minister of Magic.” 

“Fine. What do you want,  _ utreekov _ ?”

“There is no need to devolve to insults, Mr. Kryze,” Lucius answered calmly, albeit with a smug smile on his face. 

“Just get on with it.” The teen scowled.

“I came here to deal with a certain legal matter. The Wizengamot reviewed the contract signed by the Greengrass and Malfoy estates, together with the marriage clause. It was declared that the marriage clause is still valid as it was signed when one Daphne Greengrass was under the legal care of her father, who signed the contract.”

Under the helmet, Harran’s eyes narrowed. “How many people exactly did you bribe to have the vote like that pushed?” He asked in an icy tone. 

“I assure you, Mr. Kryze, that it was entirely legal…”

“I didn’t ask about legality.” Then, he chuckled. “But I see your point. May I see the full ruling?” 

“Here.” Mrs. Malfoy handed him a folder with several sheets of paper. 

After reading three paragraphs into it, Harran started to laugh. Then he needed to support himself. “I see… that everything is in order…” He wheezed. “Fine. Your son can marry Daphne  _ Greengrass _ .” 

“Perfect!” Lucius clapped his hands and got up. “I assure you it’s for the best.” He grabbed Daphne’s wrist and the only thing that saved his life was that Neville held her back while Tracey pushed him away.

“How dare you!” The man roared and pulled his wand. Immediately, he found himself facing three blasters. Angry, he whirled around and glared at Harran, who stopped laughing. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Well, I said your son can Marry Daphne  _ Greengrass _ ”

“Then…”

“I didn’t finish…” Harran gathered himself. “I meant what I said. As soon as you find a Daphne  _ Greengrass, _ you can show her the court decision. Good hunting.”

“But… she is already in this room.” Malfoy was clearly confused. 

“There are no Greengrasses in this room. There is Daphne  _ Kryze _ , but the ministry order is for one with the surname Greengrass.” 

“What! That’s preposterous!”

“That’s life.” He shrugged. “And there is now a fine legal precedent. There is no Daphne Greengrass, so you can’t use the document to enforce the contract. Meanwhile, you also have absolutely no basis to demand Daphne Kryze, since her legal guardian is me, and I will not sign anything for her.”

“You…”

“I will give you a piece of advice. Forget about that contract. It’s the best you can do now. Oh! And stay away from my  _ Aliit _ or you will see how well your wards can protect you from orbital bombardment.”

“You can’t just change your name and expect all your debts and obligations to be void!” Lucius tried his best to stay calm.

“ _ Cin vhetin. _ ” Harry shrugged. “When you become a  _ Mando’ad _ , all the past is void. And her own father disowned her. She is no Greengrass, therefore the obligation of the contract misses her times two. Now get lost, before I make you.” 

As if on cue, two goblins armed with blaster rifles entered. 

“I see I am not wanted here. I suppose we will see each other at the final task then. Good day, Mr. Kryze.” Lucius bid him a cold farewell and walked away. 

After a rather irritating morning, Harran decided to take the clan somewhere away from the Island. Tracey and Daphne immediately demanded a trip to the Mediterranean Sea. He had absolutely no problem with that. 

Sunny beaches, clear water, homemade cold drinks, and games. It was the best fun any of them had that year. At sunset, the four lied on the soft sand. This far from civilization, they could clearly see the galaxy. Harran pointed at stars and gave them the names of the systems or planets there. Mandalore was not visible, but he promised they would be amazed by its architecture. 

It slowly drove home that they would soon be leaving. 

The first part of the next day passed pretty much the same. They had more fun and ate Tracey’s cooking. Harran tried to turn it into another competition, but she put her foot down and he was left in the role of a gourmet. Not that he complained much. 

After lunch, they were already packing when the ship computer informed them about a fast-moving object entering the atmosphere somewhere above central Asia. It was constantly transmitting a standard galactic SOS signal. 

Packing the rest of their things as fast as they could, Harran started the ship and set the course for the crash location. If they were lucky, there might be some survivors still when they arrived. 

\-------

Harran landed the ship about half a klick north from the crash site. He wanted to be safe just in case the muggle government already arrived. He wanted to be careful. Their flight took about thirty minutes when they exited the atmosphere and reentered at the given coordinates. Most of it was done by auto-pilot, giving the four the time to armor-up and gather their gear. Harran put on his official cloak with the symbol of clan Kryze. It was one of the times when going official might be the best option.

The steppe they landed on was silent. In the distance, they could see the crash site. Smoke was still rising from the charred remains. The group split into two parties. Neville and Tracey moved to approach from the east, covered by the tall grass. Harran and Daphne would move straight forward. In case of hostilities, they could count on backup while if the survivors had no ill intentions toward them, they could easily reveal themselves and help. 

About a hundred meters from the site, they heard first blaster shots. This changed their plans. Harran and Daphne dashed forward. For now, Harran only had a blaster. 

On a clearing next to the crash, they found two clones frantically trying to shoot a pair of brown bears that were clearly winning this encounter. Nearby, a body of a clone lied on the ground, twisted in an unnatural shape. 

Daphne opened fire from her twin blasters while Harran activated his Darksaber and rushed forward. His pupils widened.

_ Paws _

_ Mauling _

_ Swipe _

_ Jaw _

He saw the moves in his mind. His pupils focused and he easily cut the head of the first bear off. The second meanwhile swiped the two clones away, knocking them out. They appeared to still be alive though, which was good. The beast now turned to Harran and rose on two feet. He swung his lightsaber, but before the blade could connect, the animal dropped on him. It caused him to fall down under its weight and land on his back. The armor managed to withstand the damage, but he would probably have some bruises later on. The bear tried to maul him with its front paws, but with a swift jet-pack activation while firing a series of shots to the bear’s underbelly. The beast fell dead. 

“Trace, Nev! Get here!” he called. Only one of the clones was alive. He took the soldier’s helmet and laid it on the ground. Then, he noticed that inside the tent there was another person. He looked like he was in a really bad shape, but also alive.

Neville was already pouring a revitalizing potion down the throat of the trooper in blue. While Harry and the girls were exploring the arctic, he got Madam Pomfrey to give him a first-aid course. She was more than happy to do so. 

“Once you are done with him, come here. This one will need your expertise.” Harran called and turned to look closer at the man in front of him. He wore dark-gray battle robes over a red shirt and pants. His upper chest was additionally protected by similarly colored armor. His right hand was placed into a heavy gauntlet. He looked young. Harran wouldn’t give him more than twenty. His brown hair was a mess, but it was hard to tell if it was aesthetic or just a side-effect of whatever put him in a coma. He had a lightsaber attached to his belt. 

As Neville began to take care of the man, Harran walked out and activated the macrobinocular viewplate in his helmet. As far as he could tell, there was no one moving in the distance. At least no large thing. The Muggle Government would send something big. A convoy or two dropships. 

His pupils expanded. 

_ Lightsaber. _

_ Slash _

_ Cut _

_ Counter _

The list went on. He could see two different attackers using two different styles. His pupils focused and in one swift motion, he pulled his Darksaber and activated it, spinning around and blocking a green blade that would otherwise leave a deep gash on his jetpack. Beskar or not, it was still a rather vulnerable piece. 

A kick sent his attacker away. He noted that the Togruta attacking him couldn’t have been older than him. He didn’t have time to take her entire appearance in, because a Twi’lek with her also had her lightsaber active and was in battle position. Two Jedi, both out to apparently kill him. And he thought the luck was on his side. 

“Trace! Protect Nev while he works. Daph! Get to the ship and lift off.” He gave orders before dashing forward to meet the younger opponent in direct combat. At the same time as the two lightsabers locked, he kicked Twi'lek, getting her attention. 

Togruta slashed at him, but Harran leaned under the blade while firing a small dart into her leg. She received small shock therapy. He had no chance to capitalize on this opportunity because Twi’lek redoubled her efforts. 

The blue-skinned alien was able to perfectly counter most of his standard tactics. He tried to utilize his armor capabilities, but she was much more skilled. Harran found himself on defense, being pushed back further and further. The Togruta managed to pull the dart and rejoin the fight. 

The fight was now stacked against him in all ways. The two flanked him and forced him to utilize his armor more and more. At one point, the kama he wore stopped a strike that otherwise might have caused him a need for a prosthetic leg. 

Finally, the fight approached its climax as the two women attacked him at the same time from different sides, forcing him to block two lightsabers. One was locked with his Darkaber while the other strike was absorbed by his vambrace. The pressure forced him on one knee.

There were no ways for him to get out of it. If he focused on one, the other would have an opening that would leave him headless or at least armless. Not a good perspective. The two Jedi were also stronger than they looked. 

Seeing no other option, Harran gathered a small amount of force inside his chest before releasing it as a shockwave that caused both Jedi to stumble. 

Having a small window of freedom, the Mando focused as much force as he could muster in the short amount of time and laced his blade with it. With a strong push, he plunged the Darksaber into the ground, creating a stronger shockwave that knocked both Jedi off their balance and caused them to fall on their faces. 

Using the opportunity, he summoned their lightsabers and held them firmly. Tracey now had her rifle aimed at them and he had his wrist-mounted blaster at the ready.

“That’s enough.” He told the two women firmly. “We’re not your enemies.”

“You’re a sith!” The Togruta shouted, massaging her ankle (where the dart was a moment ago).

“No. I’m a force-sensitive Mandalorian.”

“But… the Force should disappear if you’re not trained!” She tried to argue.

“I never said I didn’t train with it. Only that I wasn’t Jedi or Sith.”

“But…”

“Ahsoka! Enough.” The Twi’lek silenced the girl, whose name was apparently Ahsoka. “Please forgive us for the misunderstanding.” She slowly stood up, keeping her distance. The Togruta did the same.

“Neville should be done patching up your friend. We managed to save one of your clones.” Harran informed before reluctantly tossing the two their lightsabers. They managed a sort of truce, so he would trust them that far. But definitely not turning his back to them any time soon. 

“Sir! Caught…” A clone walked from the bushes only to be stunned by Harran in an instant. 

Neither of the Jedi saw when he pulled out a blaster. They had their lightsabers ready, but now it was three against two. No longer that favorable odds. Especially since they had to assume each of their opponents was equally well trained. 

“Can we… put down our weapons?” Neville asked, really not wanting to fight the Jedi. 

“Seconded,” Harran spoke and holstered his blaster and Darksaber. The others followed his example. “This time I’m the one that must apologize. I saw him dragging unconscious Daphne and reacted rashly.”

“We should all sit down and discuss matters in a less tense atmosphere.”

No longer needing to hide his force-sensitivity, Harran pulled nine larger stones into a sort of circle and made an impromptu campfire from the dried grass and some cloth. Flamethrower is surprisingly effective in lighting things up. Who would’ve thought?

Mandalorians sat on one side, with unconscious Daphne near them. She was hit by a stun bolt, so it would take her some time to wake up. The same could be said about Clone named Bly. Rex and other surviving Clone would wake as soon as potions did their course. The Jedi were sitting near their companions.

“Now that we no longer want to kill one another, I’m curious what a republic ship is doing so far into the deep space, in a system that is only on Mandalorian Maps.”

“We didn’t come here on purpose.” The Twi’lek spoke. A mild Rylothian accent could be heard in her voice. “Our ship’s Navi-computer was damaged during a battle and caused us to jump with randomized parameters. We barely managed not to crush into the star. What about you four?”

“Nev, Daph, and Trace are natives.” As he mentioned them, each of his companions waved to the Jedi. Daphne didn’t but it was easy to guess which one she was. “I’m Harran Kryze by the way.”

“Jedi Knight Aayla Secura.” The Twi’lek introduced herself.

“Padawan Ahsoka Tano.” The Togruta followed suit. “The one in the tent is my master, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker.” There was a moment of awkward silence before she spoke again. “Soo… How did you end up here? On this planet I mean.” She quickly backtracked.

“Some of the natives have… peculiar approaches to force. They use it in ways that I only heard in the tales of old crusades.”

“What do you mean?” Alya asked. 

“You want to know exactly how I arrived here, me and… another person,” He definitely wasn’t talking about Vizsla for now, “were summoned here through a spell placed on an enchanted artifact. The same artifact that forced me into participating in a deadly tournament, lest I die.” 

“But how is it possible?” Ahsoka asked, not understanding. “I thought force couldn’t…”

“You would be surprised,” Harran smirked. “See that wreckage?” He pointed to a part of the crashed ship that fell off some time ago. “Try to lift it without using Force.” 

“You must be joking.” The girl complained, but nonetheless got up and walked to it. She didn’t notice Harran making a strange gesture with his gloved hand. To Ahsoka’s surprise, she managed to lift the piece without much trouble. It was so light that she almost tripped backward. “Wha…!”

The three Mandalorians started laughing as she held the thing over her head. 

“One of the oldest pranks in the world. Lightweight spell on something heavy. So many possibilities.” Tracey was giggling. 

Ahsoka put down the wreckage and glared at them. “What if it fell on me?”

“It wouldn’t. I enchanted it.” 

“Right. Can we talk about that for a second?” Tracey asked, turning her head to Harran. Hearing her tone, he immediately started sweating lightly. “When were you going to tell us you are magical?” He could  _ feel _ the ice in her voice.

“Um… when we left this planet for good?” He tried to remain confident. He knew that de-facto lying to them was wrong, but by now it was a habit to hide his force-sensitivity. It was always a last-resort weapon. “Look. At first, I just hid it because it’s what I’m used to. Then, I did it so the old  _ di’kutt _ left me at least somewhat alone. As long as the Wizards believed I was just a squib, I was pretty much free. Otherwise, I would be forced to attend the death trap they call Hogwarts.”

“Come on! It’s not that bad…” Neville protested. 

“Your first year: you yourself told me there was a class four magical beast hidden behind simple doors. And didn’t your teacher  _ die _ that year?”

“To be fair, he was a thief.”

“How does it make it better?” Harran deadpanned. “Second year: petrification, petrification, petrification. And cursed books laying around. The Newspaper said that whoever tried to read the book ended up petrified.”

“It…”

“Third year.” Harry interrupted Neville before he could try to defend the school. “A mass of soul-sucking demons everywhere around the castle. A mass murderer trying to get in and a werewolf as a teacher.”

“You’re kinda… no I have nothing.” Tracey gave up on defending Hogwarts. When faced with the facts like that, she was just thankful they were alive. 

“Also, the mass murderer got into a major fight with the werewolf on Hogwarts grounds shortly after he kidnapped a student and murdered their rat. In the process, the werewolf was shot by a centaur, and the murderer had his soul sucked by what any sane person would classify as a demon.”

By the end of the rant, the Jedi were horrified. That was supposed to be a school?

“Why wasn’t that place closed?” Aalya asked, worried about the safety of students. If they were all the same age as the Mandalorians in front of her…

“The headmaster is also: the equivalent of Senate Speaker, the equivalent of their senator to the planetary council, and the equivalent of the chancellor in this council. Remember that this planet doesn’t have one centralized government.”

“So it’s a case of corruption?” Ahsoka summarised.

“No. It’s a case of hero-worship. and corruption.” 

“I guess I can understand then…” Tracey nodded, mulling over his explanation. “But I’m afraid Daphne’s still going to kill you.”

“ _ Osik! _ ” Harran cursed, causing his friends to laugh. 

“Snips…” a sleepy voice came from the tent.

“Master!” The girl immediately rushed to Anakin’s side. 

“Well, it seems they are all starting to awake.”

“General… The beasts!” The clone in blue armor jumped up and reached for his blasters, only to find the holsters empty. “What…”

“You were attacked by two bears. It’s the middle of their mating season and there is probably a female somewhere around.” Neville explained.

“Damn things hit worse than a kriffing superdroid.”

“You’re lucky it was just an animal and not a magical beast. I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t survive a Zowu or a Dragon.” 

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Rex replied dryly. 

“Don’t take it personally.” Tracey corrected. “I’m pretty sure Harry is the only one who could kill a dragon among us.”

“With all due respect, but the generals are…”

“Completely ill-prepared for a dragon. Its skin is lightsaber and blaster resistant. And it can fly, breath fire, and is about half the size of your ship on average.” 

“And  _ you _ killed it?” Ahsoka didn’t believe that this boy was more skilled than her.

“Well, I fired enough rockets at it to weaken its armor to the point where I could cut its head off. Its skin was used to make my Kama.” 

There was more discussion that evening. The clones and Jedi gave a summary of the war so far and events in the greater galaxy, while Harran and his clan told them more about the year so far. The Jedi were surprised to find an entire society of force user, bigger than their order. It was surreal for them, especially since they didn’t fall to the dark side. The society appeared so… normal. All present Jedi were too young to remember the last time Jedi heard of Earth and decided to seal all records of it. 

\-----------

It seemed that the crash went unnoticed by both Wizard and Muggle authorities. When Harran woke up early in the morning, he brought the Coldbreaker closer to the site so they could load everything scrappable and destroy the rest. 

It seemed that the front sustained most of the damage while the back was mostly intact. It pleased Harran to no end since the Hyperdrive with the most up-to-date power converter and very efficient energy generator were almost intact. Well within their collective ability to repair. Anakin Skywalker was an engineering prodigy. The potions worked about as well as Bacta, so he was ready for work in record time. 

The Jedi struck a deal with Harran. In exchange for the hyperdrive and other spare parts, he would transport the five of them to Courscant before he left for Mandalore. The deal wasn’t to the satisfaction of either side, but they needed each other for now. It didn’t mean there were no spats. Ahsoka seemed especially prone to goading Daphne and making the blonde start fights. Or at least practice chains of Mandalorian insults. Harran was proud of her for learning Mando’a so much. The clones had a bit different opinion, but they kept it to themselves. 

In two days, the Coldbreaker was ready for hyperspace travel. The only thing that remained was to finish the kriffing tournament and they were home-free. 

Harran supplied his clan with newer blaster rifles recovered from the wreckage, modifying what the clones were using for their personal use. He also alerted the Goblins that he would be leaving soon and started to pack part of his gold into chests for easier transport. He wouldn’t be able to take it all and he had no need for so much, but he also didn’t want it all to waste in the wizarding world. The vaults would stay locked until he or someone else of Clan Kryze returned to claim them. 

If only the third task went well…

\------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Next chapter will be probably the last in the Earth Arc. Next stop, the greater galaxy. The events of this chapter replaced “The Jedi Crash” episode. I might alter the chronological order of the Clone Wars slightly to better fit my plans, but it’s the year 21BBY in the story right now. 


	9. The Maze of the Mando

Heir of Mandalore - C09/The Maze of the Mando

\------------

On the day of the third task, the clan was preparing to leave. There was a bit of a problem with lodging, where they had a bit too many passengers for their seven-people ship. With the three Jedi, two clones, four Mandalorians, and two bonus passengers, the ship’s beds were exhausted. The clones offered to sleep on the floor and Anakin would probably best stay most of the travel in the medbay, but they were still one bed too short. 

“Who else are we taking with us anyway?” Ahsoka asked when they were trying to figure out how to do it. 

“Daddy and me.” A voice spoke behind her as a blonde girl seemingly materialized out of thin air. She might’ve as well… Harran long since gave up on trying to understand Luna Lovegood. 

“Good afternoon!” There was a man standing behind her. Harran would’ve rubbed his eyes if he wasn’t wearing a helmet. There was no way they both could’ve sneaked up on him. And yet, they did. At least the Jedi were equally startled. Also, it was early morning. 

“Um… and you are?” Rex asked, confused. 

“Jedi initiate Luna Lovegood. Reporting for duty, Sir!” She saluted while straightening up. 

“Ah! Yes… Um… Selene said… I think I’m…” Her father looked slightly confused. 

“Jedi consort, daddy.” She corrected him in her airy voice

“Right! Jedi consort Xenophilius Lovegood! I… I’m here… Not sure about duty though. Is finding the Crumple-horned Snorkack part of the duty? If no I’m afraid we might need to make a detour…”

“I’m sure… we can think of something?” Bly was now more confused.

“Great! I’ll go load our bags!” With a wave of his wand, Xenophilius made their bags (who no one previously noticed) start floating and put themselves inside the ship.

“I hope there is no expansion charm on the inside,” Harran warned. “It stops working after you leave earth’s atmosphere.”

“Of course there is none! Do you think I’m crazy?” Mr. Lovegood made an offended pose. 

“The jury is still out,” Daphne muttered low enough that only the Mandalorians heard her. 

“Wait. I thought Jedi were not allowed to marry. How can there be a Jedi consort?” Rex’s brain was in overdrive. He had trouble understanding Jedi on a good day. This was not a good day. 

“Silly. How else would there be more Jedi?” Luna asked and Harran had a deja vu. 

“Um…”

“I’m gonna tell her.” Neville sighed.

“Don’t you dare!” Tracey smacked the back of his head. 

“I think we can return to this discussion when we are before the Jedi Council.” Aalya made a diplomatic suggestion.

“Okay. I’ll be happy to meet Harran’s…”

“Look at the time!” He shouted, interrupting her. “We need to get moving if we want to have everything ready before the task. Help me load the crates!” He motioned to several large metal containers. When two clones tried to lift it, they almost damaged their back. 

“What in the kriffing void are you moving there?” Rex complained.

“A bit of fund for future spendings.” Harran shrugged while his clan stifled a giggle. 

Anakin looked really unconvinced and opened one of the chests that he noticed was still unlocked. His eyes almost bulged when he saw it filled with Aurodium coins. They weren’t any official currency, but the metal itself was worth a fortune, especially during galaxy-spanning war. “Where did you…”

“First of all, it’s rude to snoop, Jedi.” Harran glared at him from under his helmet. “And secondly, none of your business.” He quickly walked and closed the lid. He then made sure it was properly locked. Jedi collectively lifted the crates and moved them onboard. 

“Why did you not want me to speak about your father?” Luna asked Harran when they were relatively alone.

“While I would love nothing more than to cause him troubles… I made a promise to my mother that I would keep his identity a secret. She forgave him long ago but…” He stopped himself from speaking anything further. 

“Oh… Okay.” She nodded and left. “But you still have his eyes.”

Harran blinked twice, trying to remember when exactly did he show her his face.

\-----------

The cannon went for the fourth time and Harran entered the maze. He waved to the Clan and his numerous guests before venturing deeper into the maze. His guest section now included his entire clan, Ragnuk, Sharphook, and several more goblins, as well as two clones, a Jedi Knight, and Luna and her Father. The female Jedi wanted to come as well, but it was decided that exposing them to the wizarding society was a bad idea. Wizards were racist on a good day, outright xenophobic most of the time, and outright screamed about blood superiority when they had a worse day. Not a great place for two Aliens. They stayed with Tracey to man the ship and finish plotting the course. 

Harran wasn’t worried that he would lose really. Wizards lacked one thing: Logic. He couldn’t believe they let a Mandalorian with a Jetpack into a ten feet tall maze. 

With a press of a button, he activated his jetpack and started to rise into the air, only to be stopped by a vine that shot from the hedge. His pupils widened and focused and he cut through the irritating plant, but more and more vines shot at him. He tried to raise higher above the maze. The plants followed. He dashed forward, hoping to reach a tiny blue spot in the distance, but there were just too many obstacles. At some point, one managed to wrap around his ankle and toss him down. He was about to cut it when another wrapped around his wrist. 

When he crashed into the ground, there were dozen of them wrapped around him. 

“Okay… they have  _ some _ logic.” He grumbled and activated the flamethrower. Most of the vines burned quickly and the hedges themselves recoiled from the flame. He stopped quickly to save some fuel. He wasn’t sure how much more problems he would have on his way and fire seemed to solve most problems. 

On his way, there seemed to be no other obstacles for the most part. Monsters seemed to avoid him for some reason that he really disliked. It stank. 

A scream nearby caused him to freeze. He could recognize the cry. It was Fleur Delacour. He remembered how she cried for him to save Gabrielle. She was in distress. 

The good news was that he didn’t fight with himself for long before dashing forward the danger. The bad news was that he dashed forward the danger. Or was it the other way around? Whatever! He would deny everything later anyway. 

Cutting through the hedge that stood in his way, he made his way into a clearing. He supposed there was some challenge there that was already defeated. In the middle, Fleur writhed on the floor, screaming in pain. Another figure stood over her and pointed their wand at her. Harran was about to blast a hole in his forehead when he saw his eyes. They were fogged and empty. 

Still, a stun bolt to the face ought to do the job. Victor fell unconscious next to Fleur, who was still twitching. Harran cursed loudly and fired a red emergency flare. He could wait for a teacher to come and sort this mess, but he still had the tournament to win and get lost from this planet. He wouldn’t put it past the organizers to somehow put the blame on him. 

On his way forward, he had to burn a giant spider, fly over a chasm that shifted gravity, and then used half of his grenade supply to deal with particularly tough… creatures. They were entirely immune to fire and lightsaber did nothing to them. Their only weakness was rolling a grenade under them or feeding it to them. 

Finally, he could already see a blue glow in the distance. He was about to make a run for it when a large creature stepped in his way. It had wings, the body of a large feline, and the head of a woman.

“Halt!” It hissed at him. He was about to reach for his blaster when it laughed. “Do that and I will end you before you start casting.”

Harran took his hand away from the blaster, but he shifted his cape slightly so that it covered the fact he kept his hand close to the Darksaber. “So I assume this is not a test to my prowess in battle then?”

“If your power lies solely in the might of your magic, then it will become one. And one that you will fail.” The creature snarled. “But first I will give you a chance to survive your encounter with me, as tradition dictates.”

“So what am I supposed to do? Solve a test?”

“No. You will answer me this:” 

“I gifted you life, yet I did not make you   
I give you food, yet do not feed you   
My guidance and skill, is what you wish for   
My image and looks are what I left you   
What am I?” 

Harran had his helmet on, so the sphinx couldn’t get the satisfaction of seeing him try to figure it out. He mused over each of the parts.  _ Give life but not make. Give food but not feed... _ His first answer would’ve been mother, but it didn’t match. Water could match just the two criteria. Water fitted quite well if not for the second part. Wish  _ Guidance and skill, have image and looks… _ This was more palpable. It would refer to a person.

Sphinx was a bit unnerved by the faceless helmet glaring at it for a time.

“So. Do you have the answer, or do I get a canned food today?” It snarled. 

_ Give life… not feed… image and looks… Kriffing son of a Hutt! _

“My father” He practically growled, startling the sphinx. The creature was prideful, not stupid. 

“Correct.” It grumbled before stepping aside. 

He walked past, muttering insults toward his father in at least four different languages. Sphinx would’ve pitied him if it wasn’t so hungry. That old fool promised him a prime meal, but two champions already answered its riddles and he would not catch up to the one that still stayed in the labyrinth. 

The clearing before Harran was large. In the very center stood a podium on which the trophy rested. Slowly approaching the thing, he watched for any possible traps. Harran wouldn’t put it past the wizards to leave the nastiest, deadliest stuff until the very end. He really wanted to punch whoever invented this tournament.

From an entrance on the opposite side, Cedric Diggory ran onto the clearing. He saw Harran approach the trophy slowly. If he looked for traps, he would never get there faster. His only option was to run for it and beg lady luck for no more surprises. 

Harran saw something yellow and black running toward the cup. He didn’t need to be a genius to guess that it was the last remaining champion. 

Thinking fast, he fired the whipcord. He would not lose. 

As soon as the grappling hook wrapped around the trophy for the first time, Harran felt a strange pull and the world turned vertigo. 

\------------

When he finally came back to his senses, he felt restrains around his limbs. Something was holding him in place. He also noted that someone stripped him of his upper armor. Rage bubbled inside him. He would definitely punch someone today. 

His eyes opened and he saw a woman in a black dress, dancing around a cauldron inside which something bubbled. She seemed to be happily singing in a language Harran couldn’t recognize. He could feel the power in her words as she madly laughed in between incantations. His head was limited in possible movement, but in the corner of his eye, he saw that his cuirass was tossed aside. He still had his vambraces, probably because only he could unlock them. 

“Bone of the father, without any power, you will revive your son!” She sang, dropping something into the cauldron.

“Flesh of the servant, with pleasure delivered! You will revive your Master!” She had a smile on her face as she cut two of her fingers with a really sharp knife, allowing them to freely fall into the cauldron. Harran felt like he was going to be sick. It was wrong and the fact that the Dark Side was gathering everywhere around him didn’t help either. 

“Blood of the enemy! Forcefully taken! You will revive your nemesis!” She was reaching the climax of the ritual when she used the very same knife to make a small gash on his cheek, causing just a bit of blood to tickle over the blade. She then held the dagger over the cauldron, allowing seven drops to fall. 

The mixture turned sickly green and gained a nauseating smell that the woman seemed to immensely enjoy. 

She then gently placed a small package of black material in there, making sure not to come in any contact with the cauldron of the potion. 

There was an explosion and Harran had to close his eyes from the light. The force screamed in agony around him as something was ripped apart and consumed. When he opened them, he came face to face with one of the ugliest humans he knew. He wasn’t sure if it could’ve been even classified as a human. 

Lord Voldemort, because he had no doubt it was him, was a tall, pale, gaunt-looking creature with ashen skin, no hair, and a face that looked more like a snake than a human.

“Robe me!” He ordered and the woman immediately ran to help him put on a black robe. Could he get more cliche?

“I also managed to get your wand from the ministry!” She was beaming as she handed him a white stick with a hooked handle.

“You did well, my dear Bella.” The monster then turned his gaze toward Harran. “And who do we have here? Harry Potter. Not as powerful now, are you?”

“Let me go and I will show you just how powerful my punch can be.” The Mando growled. 

“Ah! Yes… Violent and uncultured. Just as you can expect for a squib. I was surprised that those fools could’ve believed you defeated me. A mere child with barely enough magic to be pitied.” Voldemort laughed. “Tell me… what is it that you wish for?” 

“Well, before today I was happy to be leaving. I’m actually all packed. If everything went smoothly, my clan and I would’ve left this kriffing madhouse…”

“So you had no wish to fight me? To avenge your parents?” The dark lord appeared confused for a moment, but curiosity shone through his face. 

“My true mother is still alive. I really want to be reunited with her. And introduce her to her new daughters. I happened to adopt two sisters.”

“Truly? So if I let you go today, you would never return? You would just abandon this country, everything in it, every _ one _ in it?” Voldemort asked, just to be sure. 

“That  _ was _ my plan before the third task happened.” Harran tried to shrug, however restrained he was. “Except then you came into the picture. I really do not appreciate the fact that you entered me into this tournament.”

“So you’ve figured it out then? Clever boy.” 

“It wasn’t that hard once I woke here. As far as  _ di’kutyc _ traps go, this one was the lamest. I’m pretty sure there were at least a dozen better ways to get me here.”

Voldemort didn’t answer. He instead walked over to Bella and touched an exposed tattoo on her forearm. She seethed in pain but appeared happy. 

Slowly, figures in dark robes appeared on what Harran now realized was a graveyard. Once they were all assembled, Voldemort proceeded with berating them for their unfaithfulness. 

Harran only half-listened to the rambling, instead choosing to focus on his situation as a whole. He doubted that the madman would let him go. He would more likely try to make an example out of him. Harran would need to be ready. He still had his vambraces, so he wasn’t completely unarmed. If he just managed to break through the stone that held him. His blasters and Darksaber were unceremonially tossed aside, so he could summon any of it. The problem was it would reveal his force-sensitivity. He decided to leave it as a backup plan. 

For now, he could negotiate while they were not trying to kill each other.

“Your highness?” He asked, interrupting some grand speech or another. He lost track. Voldemort sure loved to hear his own voice.

“What?!” The Dark lord snapped at him. 

“I’m getting sore in this position. Could you just let me go? I really have a ship to catch.” 

“No, Potter… I have something else entirely for you. It is time that I showed those who doubt me that I’m truly the strongest there is.” Voldemort made a wave of his wand and the stone statue let Harran go.

“But why… Nevermind. Just let me get my armor on.” He landed on his feet but didn’t immediately move to his items.

“I will allow it. No amount of metal will protect you from my might.” 

Harran had to work hard to hide a smirk. He found the man’s weakness: theatrics and overconfidence. He was almost armored and just needed to put on a helmet when he twirled around and fired a series of blaster shots right at Voldemort, who had no way to intercept them. 

The newly-created body fell dead with large holes in his chest and head. 

Harran quickly donned his helmet and activated the flamethrower, burning as many Death Eaters as he could. They seemed to be in a complete panic as no one knew what was happening. Harran just kept firing everything he had. Three received exploding darts to the chest, another four fell down from blaster fire. He cut through one that was trying to sneak up on him with a dagger. 

The woman that performed the ritual was first to start firing the spells back and rallying the others. Her spells were either caught by the Darksaber or avoided, but gradually the remaining Death Eaters started to fight back. Out of the initial thirty, about a dozen were still in fighting shape. To dodge, Harran activated his jetpack and soared high into the sky. 

From his vantage point, he targeted the Z-5 headhunter missile attached to his jetpack while dodging more spellfire. 

The Wizards never before encountered missiles. When an object was falling down, you usually just had to make sure it didn’t hit you. They were entirely unused to what was happening now. Their main defense was always to shield or put something in the way of the spell. Now, under the attack from the teen in armor that they could swear had to be magical, those tactics proved to be pointless. 

When the Z-5 passed without a hitch through their collective shield and exploded between them, the blast was enough to deal with them in a very permanent way. The end losses were: two-third of Death Eaters were already dead or would die from wounds; The rest was incapacitated and unable to continue fighting; Voldemort’s lifeless body was still in the same place it was, with his Snake paralyzed and still twitching, with an electric dart sticking from its stomach. 

Harran landed amidst the carnage and activated his communicator. Now with the wards down, he could send the message. 

“Hello? Daph?”

“ _ Harran Kryze! Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod? Where the bloody hell are you? Everyone’s losing their bloody minds!” _ She screamed back through the comms.

“Um… I’m not actually sure.” He quickly activated the tracking beacon in his suit. “It appears I’m some half-way between Castle of Doom and London.” 

“ _ Magic help me! How did you get there?” _

“I think it’s called Portkey. Also, I finally figured who put me in this blasted tournament.”

“ _ Who!? _ ”

“Voldemort. Or at least someone claiming to be him.” 

“ _ Bloody hell! Can you get back?” _

“Do Portkeys go both ways?”

“ _ Some do. Get back here. If I have to drag you back myself, you might not survive!” _

“Glad to see you’re taking the Mandalorian way so well.” He deadpanned before disconnecting. 

He was about to pick up the trophy when he remembered that it worked instantly. After a moment of thought, he instead walked over to where the self-proclaimed Dark Lord’s body laid and gripped its ankle while wrapping the Snake around his wrist. Only then he used whipcord to grab the trophy and disappear in the swirl of magic. 

\-----------

Amelia Bones was having a terrible day. She knew, deep in her bones, that the Third Task was bound to blow up even more spectacularly than the second, and that was saying something. 

When Harry Potter/Harran Kryze was portkeyed somewhere just as he won the bloody tournament, she felt herself going gray. The follow-up panic and accusations thrown around were tantamount to riots. The Goblins were an inch from starting a Rebellion. His friends were combat-ready. A man and two brothers in armor similar to those of his friends were actually trying to keep everyone from murdering each other, but they couldn’t do much. Wizards were running around like headless chickens. 

In short, she was having the biggest headache of the year. 

Of course, it was nothing compared to what happened when he returned with a body of You-Know-Who and his snake in tow. 

Riots everywhere.

She decided there and then that after that she was taking all her accumulated vacation time and taking Susan out of Britain for few months. Argentina was a nice destination she heard. So peaceful. 

When Unspeakables finally took over the case, she collapsed into the nearest chair. The minister was an idiot, Dumbledore was arrested for interfering in an investigation, Alastor Moody turned out to be a Death Eater impostor. She should’ve stayed home and let Scrimgeour sort this out. 

Right now everything was being wrapped up. It was already close to midnight, but with the moon and stars, there was still a lot of light. Harran was asked to wait until they finish the initial investigation, to which he complied. He preferred to get the Dressing down from his sister here than in front of Jedi (whoever that was). 

Amelia felt something in her gut. A warning that it wasn’t over. 

Draco Malfoy stormed through the land with his wand drawn. 

“Harran Kryze!” He started, standing in front of the aforementioned teen. He pointed his left hand at him before hitting a closed fist at his chest. “I challenge you, one warrior to another! And only the strongest will rule the promised land!” 

The dead silence that followed his words was the clear indication that something was about to happen.

Harran put on his helmet and turned to the boy. 

“No.” He simply answered. 

“You have to! I issued a challenge! If you back down now, you will be honorless!” Malfoy seemed almost ecstatic. “And I will take everything you have!”

“No, Malfoy. You are no warrior. You have no honor. You are just an  _ Aruetii _ . I don’t kill children.” Harran made a point of turning on his heel and walking away from the humiliated boy. 

“You will pay for this!” Malfoy screamed. “ **_Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra!_ ** ” 

Just a moment before this, Harran’s pupils widened and focused in quick succession. 

He whirled around with his Darksaber lit. The curses were all absorbed by his blade as he closed the distance between him and Malfoy faster than one could even comprehend what was happening. In one swift twirl of his sword, the Mandalorian cut off both of the attacker’s hands and put the sword at his neck. 

The Goblins were immediately at arms, as well as Harran’s clan. Wizards still present had their wands drawn, but none fancied the odds. 

“Not only you act without honor. You go against all that Mandalorians stand for. _Ni'duraa!_ _Gar cuy osi'yaim._ ” With his sword drawn, Harran made sure to make it visible to everyone. “In my role as Mand’alor, the heir to the throne of Mandalore and leader of all clans, with the right won in battle, I ban you from ever entering Mandalorian ground. You will be banished. A _Dar’Manda_. A soulless. And may those who met you know your shame.”

He finally let go of Malfoy, who (unknown to everyone) was held in force stasis. Immediately, the boy fell down and started to sob, curling into a fetal position. 

“We’re leaving. Now.” He told his clan and started to march toward his ship, with his friends in tow. 

No wizard dared to stop him. 

On the ship, Tracey wanted to know everything. Harran promised to tell her everything after they left the system. Just as the ramp was closing, one more person jumped on board. 

“Wait! I’m coming with you!” Sharphook shouted before they blasted him into the void.

“What about your oath to protect Ragnuk?” Neville asked.

“My oath is to protect Mand’alor. Both Ragnuk and I recognize Harran as at least  _ a _ Mand’alor.”

Everyone looked to the teen in question.

“Well, welcome aboard  _ burc'ya _ ”

\-----------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N So that about sums up the earth arc. Will they ever return? Who knows. 


End file.
